... And still they drink...
At least 12 are dead after they became ‘Yokozuna’s’ victims. No this is not a joke nor a slip of the tongue and to all those wrestling fans-if they still exist- I do not mean the near 500 pound Polynesian wrestling champ who claimed fame in the ‘80’s and 90’s.
No, rather I am referring to an illicit local concoction originating in Nyahururu that lies just east of Nakuru in Nyandarua county. The lethal and blinding brew that was introduced in the region just last week has rapidly killed, blinded or hospitalized those that dared to drink it . After threats to protest over the brew and its brewers Nyahururu’s District commissioner Lucy Mulili ordered a crackdown on all drinking dens believed to stock the deadly brew she further added that those who sell the brew are not licenced to do so.
This is not however the first time that Kenyans of all generations, ages and genders have lost their sight or lives to the taste of ‘one more drink’.
Since as far back as 1998 Kenyans have been lured into drinking these cheap but deadly concoctions with the arrival in August of ‘Power Alcohol’ more than 100 people lost their lives after ingesting the Changaa laced with Methanol.
Another form of poisonous Changaa otherwise known as ‘Kumi Kumi’- a name given to the drink due to its low price of 10/- per glass- was to follow in November of 2000 killed en mass the residents of Kibera slum who were enticed by its low price and ‘kill me quick’ potency , the brew was later found to have been laced with Methanol this rather unsightly substance claimed 140 lives and plunged countless more into darkness and hospital beds.
The police and government have tried to do their bit to stem the production and consumption of the booze by conducting seemingly endless raids on the illegal establishments, pouring out numerous gallons of the mostly dark brown muddy looking fluid.
While government on its part passed a bill in June last year regulating the sale and buying of all alcoholic substances.
While these measured have worked to regulate the consumption and sale of legal alcohol it has not done much to cut the death toll and loss for those who indulge in illegal brewing and consumption. The situation has generated enough concern to warrant stern and repeated warnings from the president and indeed the government as a whole.
But as is evident by yesterday’s deaths they fell on deaf ears.
As they continually head down the road to their local dens Kenyans seem to laugh in the face of blindness, taunting and tempting fate to take its often fatal course, and as government and the police are only able to cut the tail and body of this menace instead of lopping off its head once and for all. So once again as the resilient brewers- mostly women- are rounded up and escorted to the cells in Nyahururu others will surly arise to take their place and the cycle will continue.
No, rather I am referring to an illicit local concoction originating in Nyahururu that lies just east of Nakuru in Nyandarua county. The lethal and blinding brew that was introduced in the region just last week has rapidly killed, blinded or hospitalized those that dared to drink it . After threats to protest over the brew and its brewers Nyahururu’s District commissioner Lucy Mulili ordered a crackdown on all drinking dens believed to stock the deadly brew she further added that those who sell the brew are not licenced to do so.
This is not however the first time that Kenyans of all generations, ages and genders have lost their sight or lives to the taste of ‘one more drink’.
Since as far back as 1998 Kenyans have been lured into drinking these cheap but deadly concoctions with the arrival in August of ‘Power Alcohol’ more than 100 people lost their lives after ingesting the Changaa laced with Methanol.
Another form of poisonous Changaa otherwise known as ‘Kumi Kumi’- a name given to the drink due to its low price of 10/- per glass- was to follow in November of 2000 killed en mass the residents of Kibera slum who were enticed by its low price and ‘kill me quick’ potency , the brew was later found to have been laced with Methanol this rather unsightly substance claimed 140 lives and plunged countless more into darkness and hospital beds.
The police and government have tried to do their bit to stem the production and consumption of the booze by conducting seemingly endless raids on the illegal establishments, pouring out numerous gallons of the mostly dark brown muddy looking fluid.
While government on its part passed a bill in June last year regulating the sale and buying of all alcoholic substances.
While these measured have worked to regulate the consumption and sale of legal alcohol it has not done much to cut the death toll and loss for those who indulge in illegal brewing and consumption. The situation has generated enough concern to warrant stern and repeated warnings from the president and indeed the government as a whole.
But as is evident by yesterday’s deaths they fell on deaf ears.
As they continually head down the road to their local dens Kenyans seem to laugh in the face of blindness, taunting and tempting fate to take its often fatal course, and as government and the police are only able to cut the tail and body of this menace instead of lopping off its head once and for all. So once again as the resilient brewers- mostly women- are rounded up and escorted to the cells in Nyahururu others will surly arise to take their place and the cycle will continue.
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