Imenti North Sub-county Police Commander Ambrose Kyalo adresses the press. Photo by Brian Gitonga
Thirteen others hospitalised with blurred vision after siphoning liquid from industrial containers delivered for a farmers’ field day
By Brian Gitonga
A Meru man has died and thirteen others are hospitalised after consuming a substance suspected to be ethanol residue siphoned from industrial drums that had been delivered to Kambakia area in North Imenti ahead of a farmers’ field day.
Imenti North Sub-county Police Commander Ambrose Kyalo identified the deceased as Martin Muriki, alias Mauru, and said he was among a group of workers who discovered that drums delivered on 24 July for the Annual Farmers’ Field Day still contained a liquid with a strong alcoholic smell. The drums had been earmarked to be cut in half and converted into cattle feeding troughs.
“They recovered between five litres and more from the drums. Since July 24, they have been consuming the substance, which we suspect to be ethanol,” Kyalo said.
Workers reportedly drained the remaining liquid before taking it home in small containers, believing it to be alcohol. Kyalo said Muriki had kept roughly five litres for himself, sharing only small amounts with others while consuming most of it on his own.
The consequences were swift and severe. On Thursday morning, Muriki told his wife he could not see daylight despite it being broad morning — a sign, police say, that he had already lost his sight. “He asked his wife why there was no sunlight. She was shocked because he had apparently lost his sight. He had also not eaten because he had fallen ill,” Kyalo said.
Muriki was rushed to a hospital in Nkubu, where he died while receiving treatment.
The thirteen others who had consumed the same substance later presented themselves at Kambakia Police Station complaining of blurred vision, tongue discolouration and related symptoms. They were referred to Consolata Gitoro Mission Hospital in Makutano for treatment and observation.
The case has been handed to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, which has opened a formal inquiry into the incident. The remaining suspected ethanol, recovered from the deceased’s brother, has been taken into police custody for laboratory analysis to determine its composition.
Kyalo urged the public to exercise caution. “It is reckless and very risky to consume substances whose contents are unknown. Members of the public must desist from such behaviour,” he said.
He also called on parents to keep a close eye on their children during the school holidays, warning that unsupervised young people could easily be exposed to similarly harmful substances.
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