Kenyan singer Bien Baraza has slammed the government’s latest proposal to crack down on alcohol advertising, branding the move as hypocritical and a direct attack on the creative industry.
The National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) recently proposed sweeping restrictions on alcohol promotion. Among the new recommendations: banning online alcohol sales, raising the legal drinking age to 21, and most controversially prohibiting celebrities, influencers, and media personalities from endorsing or appearing in alcohol ads.
For Bien, a vocal advocate of artistic freedom and creative industry growth, these policies are a step too far.
“What is this fake morality? Pretending to care about the very youth they’re killing. Then we wonder why unemployment is rampant,” Bien fired on social media, calling the government’s stance both performative and economically damaging.
Under the proposed regulations, the production and broadcast of any content, music, film, plays, or audiovisual media that positively depicts alcohol consumption could be banned from both print and electronic media.
“NACADA now proposes banning alcohol advertising, online sales and want to change legal drinking age to 21. The government recently banned advertising of betting. The banns affect creative and advertising industries heavily. Are we the 1st country to have these vices?” he shared on Instgram
The move echoes the recent government clampdown on betting advertisements, another blow to an industry already reeling from job cuts and reduced revenue.
NACADA defends the proposals as part of a broader national policy aimed at shielding children and the public from what it calls “misleading and excessive inducements” to consume alcohol. Countries such as Ghana, South Korea, and several in Europe and the Middle East have already adopted similar restrictions.
But critics argue that while the intent may be noble, the execution risks collateral damage—particularly in Kenya’s fast-growing entertainment and advertising sectors.
The conversation around youth protection, freedom of expression, and economic opportunity is heating up, and Bien’s outcry has sparked a wider debate: Are these new moral crusades truly for the public good, or are they just convenient scapegoats for deeper structural problems?