Rwanda Widens Crackdown On Toxic Alcohol After Deaths And Blindness Cases

Kigali, August 3, 2026 - Rwanda has widened a crackdown on illicit and substandard alcohol after authorities said about 500 people have sought medical treatment since the start of the year after consuming dangerous drinks, including around 50 deaths and 100 cases of blindness.

Health Minister Sabin Nsanzimana said laboratory tests on some seized beverages found alcohol concentrations as high as 90 percent, along with toxic substances not intended for human consumption. Officials warned that illegally produced drinks containing dangerous chemicals can cause severe poisoning, blindness and death.

Peter Karake, head of the Rwanda Investigation Bureau's Crime Investigation and Counter-Terrorism Department, said several factories closed by authorities lacked valid operating documents or were using expired licenses. Investigators also found sites where alcohol was mixed with methanol, a highly toxic chemical unsafe for consumption.

Authorities said poor hygiene, inadequate equipment and unqualified workers were found at some production sites, where unsafe ingredients and methods were allegedly used to accelerate production and cut costs. The operation has expanded beyond eight factories previously closed by the Rwanda FDA, with about 90 additional illegal production sites shut down over the past 10 days and around 50 people arrested.

The scale of the cases has turned illicit alcohol into a national public health issue, with implications for enforcement, consumer safety regulation and oversight of small-scale beverage production.