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Death Toll From Kenya's Illicit Brew Roses to 132
The death toll from the illegal brew in the slums of the Kenyan capital Nairobi and its outskirts hit 132 by Saturday night with fears that the figure may rise as more people were hospitalized, the major East African Standard reported Sunday.
At least 20 people have lost their sight, Kenyatta National Hospital authorities confirmed.
Preliminary results on alcohol samples by the Kenya Bureau of Standards showed that the brew contained a high proportion of methanol.
At the same time, 58 suspects are set to be arraigned in courts under charges of murder and causing blindness, according to Nairobi Provincial Police chief Geoffrey Muathe.
The tragedy began on Wednesday when more than 30 peopled died of the lethal brew, which was widely sold in the slums.
Kenyan Health Ministry has warned the public not to drink the brew without a label, but some people were still going with their way.
Police spokesman Peter Kimanthi said that a lot of people took the illicit brew for granted and "they say you die when your time comes not because of the brew".
In the past two years, about 500 Kenyans died of illicit brew, according to local media.
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