A 37-year-old man died on Wednesday in Busia shortly after winning a chang’aa-drinking competition.
Michael Ouma, who hails from Matayos area, is said to have gulped down three glasses of chang’aa and passed out shortly thereafter.
Efforts by his friends to save his life didn’t bear fruit as he was pronounced dead on arrival at a Busia hospital.
A postmortem examination is yet to reveal the cause of Ouma’s death. However, doctors suspect dehydration as the cause of his death.
According to the deceased mother, Jackline Nabwire, her son left with some friends on Wednesday morning to a local where they decided to have a competition that was sponsored by one of their ‘rich friends’.
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The prize was more alcohol for the one who managed to drink the most in the shortest time
“My son had a drinking problem. His wife had even left him because of his addiction to alcohol,” said Nabwire.
Unfortunately, after beating all his buddies in the contest Ouma collapsed and died.
His body was moved to Sega Mission Hospital morgue.
Ouma is survived by a widow and four children.
This is, however, not the first case to be reported in the Western region of Kenya.
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In July last year, another man identified as Mufutu Nyongesa died after taking part in an alcohol drinking competition in Tande village, Malava sub-county.
Mafutu, 25, is said to have died after drinking excessive amounts of alcohol on an empty stomach.
His wife, Anne Naliaka, said he had left home to check on his motorcycle at a repair shop but did not return as he had promised.
“He had asked me to cook ugali for supper but he didn’t show up. I felt bad, thinking he had decided to eat in a hotel. But later I received a phone call from someone saying he was vomiting and needed urgent medical attention,” said Naliaka.
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She asked his friends to take him to hospital but he died on the way.
Following the incident, Malava Divisional Criminal Investigation Officer Yusuf Nzioka warned residents against irresponsible drinking behaviour.
“People must stop drinking, but if they must drink, let them do it responsibly. We have lost a man because he decided to play with alcohol. Eat well before drinking alcohol and also drink a reasonable amount,” he cautioned.
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