Rwanda’s Food and Drugs Authority (Rwanda FDA) has closed 27 additional alcoholic beverage manufacturing factories and revoked their operating permits, bringing the total number of facilities shut down in the ongoing crackdown to 136.
The latest measures are part of government efforts to eliminate substandard alcoholic beverages from the market and protect consumers from products that pose risks to public health.
In a statement issued on August 4, 2026, Rwanda FDA ordered the immediate suspension of all marketing and promotional activities for products manufactured by the affected factories. It also directed that all advertisements and promotional materials for the beverages be removed nationwide.
The regulator instructed the manufacturers to immediately recall all products already distributed, requiring them to work with distributors to collect the beverages from warehouses, retailers and other points of sale before returning them to the factories.
Manufacturers have been given three working days from August 4, 2026, to submit reports to Rwanda FDA detailing the recall process and actions taken.
Distributors and retailers handling products from the affected factories were also ordered to stop selling or distributing them immediately and return the stock to suppliers.
Rwanda FDA warned that companies and individuals who fail to comply with the directives will face further legal and regulatory action.
The regulator also called on consumers to stop using the affected products and urged the public to remain vigilant as inspections continue.
The latest closures come amid an intensified government campaign against unsafe alcoholic beverages, following concerns over products that do not meet required safety and quality standards.
The Ministry of Health reported that between January and July 2026, more than 500 people sought medical treatment after consuming unsafe alcoholic drinks. The cases included 50 deaths, more than 11,000 people affected by alcohol-related complications and over 100 cases of permanent blindness.
Minister of Health Dr Sabin Nsanzimana said laboratory tests conducted on samples from some of the closed factories found major discrepancies between labelled and actual alcohol content, including products marked as containing 40 percent alcohol but testing at 70 percent or higher.
