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Seven children admitted in hospital after drinking ‘chang’aa’

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Published on Tuesday, 30 September 2008 20:04

Seven children are admitted at Kenyenya Sub-District Hospital in Gucha after consuming illicit brew. The seven, three girls and four boys aged between six and 12, consumed chang’aa on Tuesday evening and were admitted the same day. They include three brothers and two sisters from the same family.

Ms Florence Kerubo, whose seven-year-old daughter was among the casualties, told The Standard that the children were playing at a home when one of them discovered the drink in a neighbour’s house.

One of the boys had allegedly seen his mother store five litres of the brew in her bedroom and left for Kenyenya market.  The child retrieved the brew and drunk some before calling his friends to join him. They later passed out. Luckily, a schoolboy discovered them at 5pm. The children could have died from the intoxicating effect of the brew.

The pupil alerted Mrs Mary Kemunto, a neighbour, who found five of the children lying on the floor unconscious. "I was preparing dinner when the boy called me. I rushed to the scene and raised the alarm," Kemunto told The Standard.

Rushed to hospital

The children were rushed to the hospital where they were admitted. Mr Andrew Omwansa, a nurse at the hospital, said the children became unconscious due to low blood sugar as a result of the brew. "The children were treated to restore normal blood sugar level and are now in stable condition," he said. The mother of the children who consumed the illicit brew admitted to The Standard it belonged to her.