Tánaiste won't apologise for visit to Kenyan Guinness brewery after criticism
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Tánaiste Micheál Martin has said he does not apologise for visiting a Kenyan brewery supported by Irish technology during a visit to the region on Wednesday.
The visit has been sharply criticised by Alcohol Action Ireland as “cynical alcohol industry spin”.
The brewery in Nairobi was built and is operated by an Irish company that uses macadamia nuts and woodchips to power machines producing bubbly Guinness at 6.5% strength.
The brewery was built and operated by Designer Group, under CEO Micheal Stone, for EABL (East African Breweries) a subsidiary of Diageo. It employs 30 Kenyans.
Mr Martin said visits to breweries in general are not boycotted, saying alcohol in moderation is permitted in society.
“I’m a strong believer in public health as a former minister of health, but we do need balance and perspective here,” he told the on Thursday.
“There’s also an economic dimension to this. What we witnessed yesterday was the very effective technology introduced by an Irish company, the Designer Group, to EABL’s processes which reduces its dependence on fossil fuels.” He said this has resulted in savings and a much better supply-chain value for farmers in Kenya.
The visit was about affirming Irish technology, he said. “That’s the other side of the story, we have to have balance in the debate on this and that is the context of my visit,” he said.
“I don’t make any apology for that.”
However, the anti-alcohol advocacy group warned: “The alcohol industry helps fuel the climate crisis through water/food insecurity, pollution, emissions and greenwashing.” They questioned why the visit was included on the itinerary for the week and described his choice as “disappointing” in a series of comments posted on X, formerly Twitter.
The group dismissed the visit as a PR opportunity, and asked: “Why do our politicians allow themselves to be used?”
Mr Martin was speaking in the capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, where he is continuing a four-day tour of the Horn of Africa region. He met with prime minister Abiy Ahmed and President Sahlework Zewde on Thursday morning.
During a long meeting with the prime minister, he said they discussed the bilateral relationship with Ethiopia and the development co-operation programme, marking 30 years since the embassy opened here. They also discussed opportunities for Irish entrepreneurs.