Factors Influencing the Use of Discretion in The Control of Illicit Brew Trade in Kenya, A Case of Kakamega and Uasin Gishu Counties

Abstract

Discretionary powers among street-level bureaucrats have the capacity of changing public policy on the spot, from its intended goals to new policies. Research on the use of discretion in the implementation of alcohol control policy on illicit brews is scanty. The paper, therefore, sought to examine the factors that influenced the Chiefs and their assistants in Kakamega and Uasin Gishu counties to utilize discretionary powers. The research utilized a cross-sectional research design, using a sample size of 124 respondents. A structured questionnaire was used to collect both qualitative and quantitative data and were analyzed using descriptive statistics and presented using tables. The research established that inadequate personnel, insecurity, inadequate stakeholder co-ordination, expansive jurisdictions, the status of the traders and inadequate means of transportation were the driving factors behind the use of discretion among the administrators, negatively impacting the control of illicit brew trade in the counties.