Moonshine kills

last updated 8 January 2015

Machakos, Kenya

More than 50 Kenyan villagers died this week after drinking a bad batch of home-brewed liquor. Kenyans who can’t afford beer often drink changa’a, an illegal spirit made from corn, molasses, and methanol, an industrial alcohol used in antifreeze. Police said the brewer must have added too much methanol, rendering the brew poisonous. Hundreds are believed to have sampled the toxic batch; dozens are recovering in the local hospital. “Some of them are blind, some of them are very weak,” Kenyan television reported, “and nearly all of them are dehydrated.” Parliament will soon consider whether to legalize changa’a, a move proponents say would lead to higher production standards.