Authorities in Kicukiro District have seized 385,000 litres of ethanol and more than 31,000 cartons of substandard alcoholic beverages in a fresh crackdown on unsafe drinks.
The operation, conducted on Monday, targeted factories including Kasesa Distillers Distributors in Gahanga Industrial Park and Yego Manufacturing, where authorities found large quantities of ethanol and alcoholic products that are set to be destroyed.
Kicukiro District Executive Administrator Antoine Mutsinzi said 793 drums containing 198,000 litres of ethanol were seized at Kasesa Distillers Distributors, alongside about 28,000 cartons of substandard alcoholic beverages found in the factory’s storage facilities.
“At Kasesa Distillers Distributors, there were 793 drums containing 198,000 litres of ethanol. They also had about 28,000 cartons of substandard alcoholic beverages in storage. We seized them and they will be destroyed,” Mutsinzi said.
At Yego Manufacturing, authorities seized another 748 drums containing 187,000 litres of ethanol.
Mutsinzi said the total ethanol seized from the two factories amounted to 385,000 litres, in addition to alcoholic beverages seized from the factories and other products recovered from bars and shops across the district.
The seized products will be removed from the factories, transported to designated sites and destroyed, authorities said.
The operation is part of a wider campaign by government agencies to remove substandard alcoholic beverages from the market and prevent products that could pose health risks from reaching consumers.
Authorities have warned manufacturers and distributors to comply with quality and safety requirements, saying operators found producing or secretly distributing substandard drinks face enforcement action.
The latest seizures come days after authorities collected more than 470,000 litres of ethanol in Kigali between August 2 and 5. The ethanol was reportedly being used in the production of substandard alcoholic beverages.
Residents have been urged to avoid alcoholic drinks whose quality and safety cannot be verified.
