Drinking Culture and Alcohol Management in Kenya: An Ethical Perspective

Abstract

The need for refocusing and reengineering the drinking culture and the new emerging effects on the youths and older population in Kenya cannot be underestimated. The youth who are the future professionals for any developing nation like Kenya, should be given special attention through proper education on alcohol consumption. The study was cross-sectional and sought to establish the extent to which alcohol education and management is executed in Kenya, with greater emphasis being directed towards the youth and young adults in Kenya. The research was carried out in 7 (seven) provinces of Kenya, due to their cultural differences and findings established. Research questionnaires were prepared and hand delivered to religious and social leaders, managers, educational heads, operators in alcohol industry and officials in the research regions. The paper employed ethical theories such as virtue ethics, deontological ethics, ethical learning and growth and teleological ethics to build its content. The research involved survey approach to get responses from the seven provinces. An analysis of the data was carried out using principal component analysis.  A major finding was found to be the weakening influence of the social institutions to instill ethical concerns on the youth and other members of society on alcohol management and education. It was also established that the society, family and institutions have lost their superiority thus allowing the youth to engage in unproductive and irresponsible drinking to seek satisfaction and pleasures. This therefore makes them the endangered age group in Kenya. It was recommended that ethics should be employed to help management and reinvent the affected parties especially the family, schools and community at large. This was to involve alcohol education and management aided by ethical theories and values of humane living. This paper is purely ethical and first in its entirety in Kenya to focus on ethics as a tool of enlightening and controlling alcohol consumption through mutual education and management by social institutions in Kenya.