INFLUENCE OF ILLICIT ALCOHOLIC LOCAL BREWS CONSUMPTION ON HOUSEHOLD FOOD SECURITY AND HEALH IN BUMULA AND KANDUYI SUB-COUNTIES, BUNGOMA, KENYA

Abstract

Around 1.3 billion individuals worldwide are affected by alcoholism, which accounts for 3.5 percent of all health problems and disabilities. Despite the fact that illicit brew was declared illegal by presidential order in 1978, it accounts for 60% of all alcohol drunk in Kenya. This study aimed to determine how illicit local brews affected household food security in Bungoma County, Kenya, particularly in the Bumula and Kanduyi Sub-Counties. The study's specific objectives were to look into the social, economic, and health effects of illegal local brews on household food security in Bungoma County, Kenya's Bumula and Kanduyi Sub-Counties, as well as to find ways to limit illicit brew use. The research took place in Bungoma County's Bumula and Kanduyi sub-counties. The study took a correlational survey research approach. The 8477 people surveyed from Bumula sub-counties included Religious family leaders, agricultural authorities, NACADA representatives, NGOs, and CBO leaders. Personnel from the provincial administration, education, health, law enforcement, and probation were key informants. The 373 respondents were chosen by stratified random selection, including household leaders and key informants who were purposefully sampled. Face to-face interviews, structured questionnaires, and observation were used to collect data. Frequencies were used to analyze the data, and percentages were calculated using SPSS statistical software. Tables, pie charts, and bar charts were used to illustrate the data. H01: The initial study hypothesis was that socioeconomic variables have no substantial impact on household food security. The null hypothesis was rejected since the model was significant, demonstrating that socioeconomic factors had a statistically significant and substantial positive linear connection with household food security. According to H02, the health impacts of illegal local brews had no major impact on household food security. Contrary to the null hypothesis, the health consequences of illicit local brews had a substantial, albeit weak, positive linear connection with household food security, according to the model. H03: According to the third hypothesis, strategies to minimize illicit brew consumption do not influence household food security. The model was significant, and the study's third null hypothesis was disproved, suggesting that attempts to reduce illicit brew consumption have a meaningful relationship. Based on our findings, we may conclude that illicit brew consumption is a significant driver of household food security. According to the researcher, the government should arrange workshops to educate residents about the consequences of illegal brew drinking and how it impacts household food security. The government should also enlist the help of the general people in combating unlawful beer consumption. To urge people to discontinue the unproductive trade, the government may map out hotspots for illicit brew consumption and provide alternate sources of revenue to the mapped homes.