Ultimate Media

Uganda’s Minister of Trade and Industry, Major General Kahinda Otafire is urging Ugandans to avoid consumption of unlicensed liquor for the safety of their own lives.

Otafiire was today responding to reports of deaths confirmed in Kabale following consumption of a poisonous waragi in Kabale district.

The death toll in Kabale has reached 61 while 14 people who are admitted in Kabale hospital have gone blind.

Trade Minister Maj. Gen. Kahinda Otafire

Otafiire, while addressing the media today insisted that it is not the packing of alcohol in sachets that is killing people but the content in the sachets.

The minister says that results of tests done on 18 types of waragi, found only one that contained the dangerous methanol.

He however adds that tests conducted on alcohol packed in jerrycans found an average of 170% to 300% content of methanol.

Otafire says that there are new measures that have been put in place to avoid further loss of lives.