Get or renew a Meru County liquor licence (alcoholic drinks licence)
County Government of Meru · sources read 3 Oct 2026
Apply in writing on the county form to the Sub-County alcoholic drinks committee where your premises are, then pay the licence fee once the county committee approves. A bar in Meru or Maua town pays KSh 45,000 in total (KSh 35,000 in other markets), and every licence expires on 31 December.
- Fee
- KSh 45,000Bar, restaurant and nyama choma: Meru and Maua towns (application KSh 5,000 + licence KSh 40,000)KSh 35,000Bar, restaurant and nyama choma: other markets (application KSh 5,000 + licence KSh 30,000)KSh 35,000General retail: Meru and Maua towns (total)KSh 20,000General retail: other markets (total)KSh 29,000Wines and spirits retail: all areas (total)KSh 55,000Hotel alcoholic drinks licence: Meru and Maua towns (total)KSh 35,000Hotel alcoholic drinks licence: other markets (total)KSh 105,000Night club: Meru and Maua towns (total)KSh 11,000Temporary licence: all areas (total)KSh 2,000Transfer of licence / change of detailsKSh 10,000All new applicants (listed separately in the schedule)
- Deadline
- Every licence and renewal expires on 31 December each year.
- Where
- In person with the Sub-County Alcoholic Drinks Regulation Committee in the sub-county where your premises are (County Government of Meru). No online liquor licence application was found. Meru County Contact Centre: 0709 241 000.
Steps
- Fill in the county's prescribed application form and submit it, with the application fee, to the Sub-County Alcoholic Drinks Regulation Committee where your premises will be.
- Within 21 days the sub-county committee publishes a notice of your application, posts it near your premises and sends it to the police, public health and physical planning officers, who report before your hearing.
- If there is no objection, the County Committee reviews your application and grants the licence once you pay the licence fee for your type of outlet and area.
- Renew every year: all licences expire on 31 December.
Watch out
- Apply early: your application is advertised for at least 21 days and reviewed by police, public health and planning officers before it is heard.
- A bar licence only allows sales from 5pm to 11pm on weekdays and from 2pm to 11pm on weekends and public holidays.
- The fee schedule also lists a KSh 10,000 charge for all new applicants; ask the county whether it applies on top of your licence fee.
Who can apply
- Anyone who wants to make, distribute or sell alcoholic drinks in Meru County, from bars and wines-and-spirits shops to hotels, clubs and supermarkets.
- You must be 18 or older and not an undischarged bankrupt, and for a retail licence you must live in Kenya.
Official sources (2)
- The Meru County Alcoholic Drinks Control Act, 2024 (Kenya Gazette Supplement No. 1, Meru County Acts No. 1) meru.go.ke · read 3 Oct 2026
- THE MERU COUNTY ALCOHOLIC DRINKS CONTROL ACT, 2024 (resource page) meru.go.ke · read 3 Oct 2026