Elderly man smells out 800 litres of chang'aa

ELDORET: An elderly man's strong sense of smell Thursday helped villagers to arrest three men who were ferrying 800 litres of an illicit brew.

The suspects, who had transported the chang'aa in a public service vehicle all the way from Kakamega, were arrested at Kiplombe when the man raised the alarm after the smell of the liquor assaulted his nostrils.

Quick action by residents and the local administration led to the arrest of the suspects and recovery of the brew which was packed in two-litre polythene bags and stashed in gunny bags.

Area chief William Kemei said they trailed the vehicle but when they motioned the driver to stop he accelerated, prompting officials to seek the help of members of the public.

"Through the help of 'nyumba kumi' officials, we were able to arrest the suspects after the locals mounted a roadblock," he said.

The chief said the liquor was being transported from Shinyalu to Vumilia in Soy where it was to be repackaged and taken to Eldoret town for sale.

The brew, he added, was highly concentrated and one litre was to be mixed with 20 litres of water.