Samuel Otieno
17 March 2008
Nairobi — The country has witnessed cases of poisoning and death from the consumption of illegal brews.
In 1994, some 24 people died, while six became blind in Murang'a District after consuming illicit liquor. Only two of the victims recovered their sight.
In August 1998, more than 100 people died in Machakos after drinking chang'aa laced with methanol.
When ingested, it damages the optic nerve, leading to blindness. It also causes respiratory failure as well as the collapse of liver and kidney functions, often leading to death within hours.
In 1998, nearly 100 people died and others were blinded after drinking adulterated chang'aa in Nakuru District.
Five survivors of a lethal brew in Embu that killed 23 people were left blind in 1999, while about 100 villagers in Mai Mahiu died after drinking an adulterated brew.
In November 2000, at least 140 died, several went blind and almost 400 others were hospitalised after consuming chang'aa in Nairobi's Mukuru Kwa Njenga, Mukuru kwa Reuben, Mukuru Kayaba, and Sinai slums.
In June 2005, at least 20 people died after consuming an illicit home brew locally known as kuona mbee in Machakos District. Ironically, kuona mbee in the local language means 'seeing ahead'.
Several others were admitted at the Machakos District Hospital in critical condition, while others went blind.
Medical authorities suspected the spirit was adulterated with methanol.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 The East African Standard. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
