An attempt by police officers to raid a Chang’aa den at a village in Trans Nzoia county was met with resistance after the brewer raised an alarm attracting troops of drunkards and villagers who attacked the officers.
Determined to arrest the notorious brewer, the officers had stormed Bwake village and headed straight to Mulati’s homestead, their eyes trained on his wife.
Her proficiency in brewing the most potent local brew is unparalleled and Bwake villagers were willing to pay the ultimate price in protecting her, as the officers would later learn.
“No sooner had police announced their entry than Mulati’s wife started throwing tantrums alerting the whole village, of the presence of the unwelcome intruders,” DCI said in a statement.
“But even as she screamed deliriously in a high-pitched voice, some revelers continued imbibing their pints unperturbed, dismissing the raid as the usual swoops coordinated by the village committee. Others took vantage positions in the compound and challenged the officers to a duel, as they gathered rocks and other projectiles,” added the statement.
Along the banks of a stream in the backyard, drums of boiling froth sat precariously on improvised jikos as pipes immersed in the stream poured droplets of the distilled substance into 20-liter jerrycans.
Two connoisseurs who tested the potency of the final product stood guard, holding half-burnt wood.
As the officers would later describe the scene, the setup was well organized though not technologically advanced, reminiscent of a distilling plant of medieval times.
Before the Sergeant in charge of the operation ordered his men to arrest the woman and her husband, a hail of stones and other projectiles came falling on the officers forcing them to retreat.
“They had to fire several rounds in the air to scare away the crowd that was baying for their blood,” DCI said.
Two of them suffered serious injuries and were referred to Kitale County Referral Hospital for specialized treatment.
Police have since mounted a well-coordinated operation in response to the Saturday incident, which is currently ongoing.
