Police arrest brewer of killer alcohol

Workers clean assorted bottles recovered at a compound on May 7, 2014 in Ruai. PHOTO | DENISH OCHIENG

What you need to know:

  • According to police, the making of the brews begins in a makeshift structure in Ruai
  • The deadly brews claimed the lives of at least 76 people in five counties

Police officers from Embakasi, Nairobi, have traced the origin of the Wings illicit brew that left several people dead to an establishment in Ruai.

They also arrested the maker of the brew and he is being held at Mlolongo Police Station.

According to police, the making of the brews begins in a makeshift structure in Ruai, where bottles, cartons and stickers are assembled. The women and men do not have a clue of the product that goes into the bottles.

On Friday, the Saturday Nation accompanied police on an ambush of the ‘factory’.

“Our work is to wash the bottles, arrange the cartons and place them in a crate. We do not know where they end up,” said a worker.

TEMPORARY STRUCTURE

The plant is a temporary structure made of old iron sheets and timber. It has no doors.

Alcohol bottles of different brands are cleaned mainly by the women.

The bottles are normally collected by street children, who go around bars and residential areas looking for them.

Once washed, the bottles are packed in carton boxes and ferried to Githunguri, Ruai, where the alcohol is brewed in a house that police are yet to unearth. The bottles are filled and then distributed to the market.

“All manufacturers will undergo fresh vetting to ensure they are selling genuine products,” the National Authority for Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse chairman, Mr John Mututho, said.

The deadly brews claimed the lives of at least 76 people in five counties.

According to the authorities, the killer brews include Sacramento Cane Spirit and Country man. They have been identified as being responsible for the deaths in Makueni, Kitui, Murang’a, Kiambu and Embu.