The Impact of Community Policing Initiatives and Local Partnerships in Addressing the Problem of Illicit Brews in the Nyeri County

Globally, illicit brew consumption is among the leading causes of mortality besides other effects like social disintegration affecting families and the society at large. As a country, Kenya has made various efforts to tackle the illicit brew problem, including enacting and enforcing laws to control alcohol abuse. However, enforcement agencies often face varied challenges thereby limiting their effectiveness. Despite the legislative and policy interventions, the problem of illicit brews has continued to be a menace in the Kenyan society. Consequently, there is need to interrogate other strategies outside law and policy that may be embraced to reduce illicit brew related harm in the society. This research aimed to evaluating the impact of community policing initiatives and local partnerships in addressing the problem of illicit brews in the Nyeri county. The study was guided by Community partnership theory and Communication Theory. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design with mixed-methods research approach targeting a subset of population from the study area. A simple random and purposive sampling techniques was utilized to select the respondents. Data was collected from the respondents and the key stakeholders using questionnaires and key informant interview guides respectively. Qualitative data was analyzed thematically. While quantitative data was examined using summary statistics such as proportions, averages and the means. Study found that, community policing has strengthened trust and cooperation to combat illicit brewing effectively. The study recommends that, to integrate regular community forums to sustain behavior change, to strengthen anonymity, simplify reporting and to provide feedback to build trust and encourage community participation.