It's always the 'last one' until lights go out

By Kenfrey Kiberenge

"Kuzaliwa ni bahati, kufa ni lazima (being born is luck, but death is a must)," says Eric Onyango, a visibly intoxicated imbiber at a dingy joint in Kibera’s Laini Saba.

Striding away is Lucy Wanjiru of Soweto East, who says the traditional brew is ‘medicine’ for her stress. She drinks to ‘manage’ destitution.

"I have two children whose different fathers have disowned. Nikiacha kunywa, fikira zitaniua na kwa sababu sina pesa ya Tusker, nitakunywa chang’aa (if I stopped drinking, stress would kill me. I cannot afford beer, so I must take chang’aa)" she says.

Victims of the recent Kibera illicit brew incident where several died and others lost sight.

Thousands of traditional brew drinkers here and other parts of the country have similar stories and, now, the question is, where did the rain start beating us?

Feeble laws, poverty, a lax law enforcement scheme and ‘alcoholised’ nation appear to have conspired to continually claim hundreds of lives of illicit brew imbibers.

Scores of people have also been left blind over the years after consuming the brews that are usually laced with methanol, methyl, formalin or formaldehyde to make them stronger.

The killer beers have also caused impotence to innumerable men, particularly in central Kenya and sugar producing areas of Nyanza and Western provinces, resulting in decreasing or static population.

Nevertheless, illicit brew lovers are undeterred and it seems the death toll may keep increasing.

Charles Nzioka, a human behaviour expert, agrees the fatalistic attitude of most poor people, especially in the slums, is to blame for their refusal to quit the tin despite scary reports of deaths.

"Most of the people argue that even if they quit drinking, they will be killed by something else anyway," explains Prof Nzioka, a sociology lecturer at the University of Nairobi.

The statistics

Last weekend’s incident in Kibera, where 23 people died after consuming a concoction suspected to have been laced with methanol, is the latest in the statistics. This happened before dust could settle on a similar incident three months ago, where 12 people died and other 20 left blind after consuming illicit brew in Nairobi’s Shauri Moyo estate.

This happens despite the existence of four laws that seek to protect Kenyans from poisonous products.

Former National Agency for Campaign Against Drug Abuse chairman Joseph Kaguthi says the deaths are annoying.

"We lose so many lives yet the causative factors are obvious: a general failure to enforce laws, which are again very weak," states Kaguthi.

Unknown to many Kenyans, there is a Chang’aa Prohibition Act that outlaws the distilling and consumption of traditional liquors.

"No person shall manufacture, sell, supply, consume or be in possession of chang’aa," says Section 3(1) of the Act. It further outlaws the possession of any implement, apparatus or utensil designed or adapted for the distillation of chang’aa.

But in what anti-alcohol campaigners calls an enhancer rather than an inhibitor, Section 4(1) allows a distiller to get away with a fine of Sh10,000.

Added to this are the Pharmacy and Poisons Act, and the Food, Drugs and Chemical Substances Act, designed to guard the public poisonous products, but which have proved ineffective.

A raid of a chang’aa den by the Provincial Administration. Photos: Moses Omusula and File/Standard

Liquor Licensing Act largely dwells on the formal licensing of bars and retailing of beers. The laws are silent on marketing and advertising of alcoholic drinks. Today, you can buy alcoholic drinks in supermarket shelves, kiosks. Beer makers have also been given a leeway to advertise their products where they glorify drinking as the way of life.

"Nowhere in the world is someone allowed to advertise alcohol freely like in Kenya," warned Kaguthi.

But chief Public Health Officer Kepha Ombacho says the Government is doing it, partly, to reduce illicit brews-related deaths. "Last year, my department issued notice to all districts on a list of illicit brews," he says.

Presidential assent

The only law that regulates, rather than ban, the sale of traditional liquors is the Alcoholic Drinks Control Bill that was sponsored by Naivasha MP John Mututho, but still awaits presidential assent.

Experts have, however, feared the new edict would not address the problem. They predict it would lead to an increase in the cost of the traditional beers putting them out of reach for the majority of the poor.

Nzioka, however, argues that Mututho’s Bill will merely reduce mortality rate, but not completely eradicate it.

"The standardisation and regulation will obviously increase its cost. In effect, this will create room for the manufacture of cheaper brews for the market," he adds.