This archive report was first published on 12 July 2021.
On July 12, 2021, a batch of illicit alcohol known as 'Santa King' claimed one life and left eight others hospitalized in Nyahururu.
The Nursing Manager at Nyahururu Referral hospital confirmed that samples of the alcohol have been taken to the government chemist for analysis.
According to Wilson Gitonga, the Manager Nursing Services, the hospital could not establish the chemical component of the alcohol that caused the death of one person and resulted in eight others being hospitalized due to stomach complications.
One of the survivors, Joel Njoroge, said the bar owner had invited them for a birthday party to celebrate the birth of his new baby, where they were offered alcohol.
'We never drank as much as we do, we just did a bottle each at around 11am only to regain consciousness in hospital at around 8pm,' Njoroge said.
Another survivor, Mburu, appealed to the government and well-wishers to come to their rescue and give them sustainable jobs.
'A stall for business or a boda boda can help some of us from being idle. If for example, yesterday I was working I wouldn’t have gotten time to go and drink the poisonous alcohol. Desperation makes some of us indulge in uncontrolled drinking,' Mburu regretted.
It is worth noting that in 2011, Nyahururu was in the spotlight after 11 people died due to consumption of poisonous alcohol dubbed 'Yokozuna'.
