Kenyans Ranked as the Least Consumers of Alcohol in Sub-Saharan Africa

Kenyans have been named as the least consumers of recorded and unrecorded alcohol in sub-Saharan Africa.

A new report by the Institute of Economic Affairs also shows that Kenyans consume less alcohol compared to their neighbors in Uganda and Tanzania.

The report dubbed ‘The Unintended Effects of Kenya’s Alcohol Regulation Policies’ indicates that Kenyans consume 3.4 liters of alcohol per capita while Ugandans and Tanzanians drink 9.5 and 9.4 respectively.

The report has been released at a time when the government of Kenya has intensified the fight against alcohol abuse by cracking down on sub-standard liquor companies in the recent past.

The report shows that Nigeria has the highest alcohol consumption rate at 13.4 liters per capita followed by Gabon at 11.5, Swaziland (9.9), Namibia (9.8) Uganda (9.5) and Tanzania (9.4).

The average consumption of recorded and unrecorded alcohol per capita in sub-Sharan Africa stands at 6.3 liters per capita.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines recorded alcohol as one that is brewed, distributed and sold under the control of the government.

On the other hand, unrecorded liquor is one that is not accounted for in the national statistics on taxation and is sold outside the government control.