I have always wondered why barley should be grown in Kenya, malted in Kenya, fermented in Kenya, bottled in Kenya and drunk by Kenyans... then >70% of profits taken to the UK. – Just because Diageo owns more than 70 % shareholding in this company directly and / or through proxies.
KBL and now EABL have had a very successful advertisement campaign over the years...appealing to the Kenyans and selling itself as a true Kenyan product. Unfortunately over the same period of time ownership, management and control of this former gem has slowly eluded us Kenyans.
It has also puzzled me that the most profitable company for a long time has been a beer manufacturing company and not an IT related company or a manufacturing company.
There is nothing illicit about beer or alcohol brewed at home. In many developing countries the large percentage of beer consumed is from small family owned establishments and from microbreweries – the multinationals only control a small chink of those markets.
Come to Kenya – my theory has been that these multinationals through their connections in governments, influence and money have managed to convince everyone including our legal system that any beer brewed outside their premises are illegal, dangerous and illicit. ALL ALCOHOL IS ILLICIT!!! Including theirs if we are to view brewing by this eye.
Given the necessary support, tax breaks, regulations.... the mama pima who sells “machozi ya samba”at mbotela would now have been a force to reckon with – she would even probably have listed her company at the NSE, JSE or LSE if not NYSE.
After all the Japanese have sake, Ugandans have Waragi etc.... it is time that we supported companies that have real business ethics.