Gov’t Recalls Security Officers On Duty During Kirinyaga Killer Brew Incident

Interior CS Kithure Kindiki has recalled security officers who were on duty during the killer brew incident in Kirinyaga,

Area OCS received a warning for allowing brewer to manufacture illicit liquor.

“The Government has recalled senior law enforcement and National Government Administration officers who by conduct or misconduct may have contributed to the recent loss of lives occasioned by the consumption of an illicit toxic brew in Kirinyaga County, Central Region,” said the CS.

“Relevant agencies are directed to immediately initiate inquiries upon which appropriate administrative action will ensue on those found culpable.”

Read: Death Toll from Kirinyaga Brew Rises to 13, Angry Residents Torch Liquor Den

As of Wednesday, the death toll stood at 13. 20 others had gone blind.

Central Regional Commissioner Fredrick Shisia said angry Kangai villagers raided and torched a bar linked to deaths.

The residents stormed the bar owned by a local tycoon at dawn, destroying property before setting it ablaze.

During the raid, crates of beer, tables and other property were destroyed, police and witnesses said.

Locals said the revelers went to a local bar on Monday night and ordered the drink, which they enjoyed while chatting before heading home.

However, in the early hours of Tuesday morning, the victims began complaining of stomach pains and vomiting.

Six of the victims died at homes while the rest succumbed in hospitals.

The contents of the brew are yet to be known.

The National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse

(NACADA) said it is alarmed by the deaths and loss of eyesight among people reported to have consumed the suspicious alcoholic drinks.

“From preliminary reports, the deaths occurred as a result of consumption of an unidentified substance whose contents are yet to be established,” said the authority Chief Executive Officer Dr Anthony Omerikwa.

He also cautioned the public on the rising cases of illicit alcohol-related deaths and illnesses.

Omerikwa urged the public to avoid consumption of alcohol whose quality cannot be verified.

He appealed to the County Governments to execute their devolved licensing mandate to control the proliferation of bars, and wines and spirits outlets, many of which do not meet the required operating standards.

At least six family members are among those who died and five others went partially blind after consuming illicit liquor in Kangai village, Mwea east, Kirinyaga county.

Kerugoya County Health boss George Karoki said among the deceased was a patient who had been referred to the Kerugoya County Referral Hospital but died upon arrival on Tuesday.

Karoki said relatives of the deceased said that five other family members had died within their residences after consuming the liquor and that their bodies had been moved to a funeral home.

“We are told that they died at their residences and were therefore taken straight to mortuary.”