This archive report was first published on 17 August 2019.
On August 16, 2019, police officers in Athi River raided a house at Green Park estate, owned by Chinese nationals, and discovered a liquor processing plant and thousands of litres of chang'aa and busaa.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the raid was prompted by a tip-off from members of the public, and resulted in the arrest of two Chinese nationals, Mr Wang Yalan and Ms Wang Haijian.
The duo, who are currently detained at the Athi River police station, were found in possession of 1,000 litres of methanol, a chemical used as a solvent in manufacturing that can get people drunk but is a deadly poison.
Public health experts have warned that methanol is so poisonous that a teaspoonful of the chemical in its pure form is enough to burn the optic nerve and cause blindness, and that just three tea spoonfuls are potentially fatal.
The discovery of the industrial-scale manufacture of chang'aa has raised concerns about the existence of such operations in the country, and the police are investigating whether the two Chinese nationals are in the country legally.
Mr Yalan and Ms Waijan will be presented in court in Machakos on Monday to answer to, among other charges, running an illegal distillery.
