An investigation done by Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) together with law enforcement into the death of 17 people in Arua and Madi Okollo districts who drank a local gin called City Five has revealed that it was excessively adulterated with Methanol.
In a statement seen by the Nile Post, UNBS said the sample picked by Police from the Kiosk where the product was being sold was found to have been adulterated with excessive levels of Methanol above the maximum limit of 50 milligrams per litre and had low levels of Ethanol below 37.5% mass per volume specified in the Standard.
Based on results from the laboratory analysis, the bureau said it is clear that the likely that the cause of death for the people who consumed the City 5 Gin was due to excessive adulteration of the gin with methanol which was found to be between 17 to 16,183 times far higher than the permissible level of 50 milligrams per litre.
As such the government has banned the production and sale of a locally distilled alcohol in Arua City.
UNBS has suspended the Arua-based Luluwiri Fruit Wine factory, the producers of the adulterated gin branded ‘City 5 Gin’ and subsequently, arrested the manufacturers of the killer liquor.
The Minister of State for Industry, David Bahati, yesterday told MPs that the suspects involved in the manufacture and sale of City 5 Gin have been arrested and are in custody of Police.
Arua Central MP, Jackson Atima said six of the deaths were registered in Arua city, five in Madi Okollo district and three in Arua district while others are still hospitalized in Arua Referral Hospital and other health facilities
Bahati said UNBS has also suspended the certification process of products from the suspected production facilities until further notice.
“The Bureau has placed advertisements on local radios in the West Nile Region to caution people against consumption of City 5 Gin and other uncertified beverages,” Bahati said.
Methanol is an industrial chemical which is mostly used to make fuel. It is commonly used for diluting wall paints and wood vanishes. Unlike ethanol, methanol is poisonous for human consumption.
