Residents of Ha Nderi slums in Lari are reeling from the effects of a local brew known as 'mariamu mukiinya'.
Sold for Sh20, the brew leaves users drunk for several hours, making them unable to do meaningful work.
Maureen Wambui, a resident of the slum, said many young people are dependent on the drug.
“Mariamu mukiinya is torturing our men as all they have to do is earn Sh20 so they can get drunk for the whole day,” Wambui said.
She said the side effects of the illicit brew have been severe.
“Our young people cannot engage in any meaningful venture before they taste it. Once they go for a sip, you will find them sleeping along the paths in the village as early as 8am,” she said.
Wambui said users rarely shower or even have a decent meal, making them appear to be older than their peers in the village.
People of all age groups are abusing the drug and it has led to most young people dropping out of school.
Dr Roselynn Nasenyana, a general practitioner, said cheap liquor in the markets has led to an increased number of patients visiting her facility with some dying.
But the consumers are yet to admit that the deaths could be attributed to their drinking.
The doctor warned that toxins from lead used to distil the liquor could contaminate the brew.
Nasenyana added that some distillers spike their brew with transformer fuel, embalming fluids and many other dangerous liquids.
Paul Mburu, a 27-year-old who is addicted to the illicit brew, blamed his habit on unemployment.
Mburu said his habit cannot put his health at risk as he eats well before consuming mariamu mukiinya.
“I rarely work all day as I only get contracts that might last an hour. Sometimes my economic situation is very frustrating and this, therefore, leads me to drink mariamu mukiinya,” he says.
Another resident, Johana Njuguna, told KNA the brew has destroyed the lives of his two sons.
“My young boys cannot be relied on and neither can they be left in the home unguarded as they will sell anything they come across,” he said.
Residents appealed to the local administration to ban the brew lest they lose their young.
