NAIROBI, Kenya – Brand strategist Mark Pollard has raised concerns about alcohol safety in Kenya after claiming he fell seriously ill twice within 10 days following the consumption of locally available liquor.
The Australian-born brand strategist and Nairobi-based commentator shared his experience on social media, saying he had endured prolonged vomiting after drinking a small amount of Kenyan liquor.
Pollard said his latest illness left him vomiting repeatedly for several hours and called for action to address what he described as a broader problem with liquor safety in the country.
“I just had two situations in 10 days due to some of the liquor here,” Pollard said.
“Basically 24 hours of vomiting.”
He said he vomited 15 times during the first 12 hours of the illness.
“In the first 12 hours on Friday night into Saturday, I vomited 15 times,” he said.
He described the illness as a repeating cycle in which he would experience a brief break before becoming sick again.
“You’re basically on the toilet, everything’s going straight through you, and then you’re vomiting,” he said.
“Then you get about a 30-minute break, 60-minute break, your stomach’s bubbling up again, and then boom, you go again.”
Pollard said the experience left him frustrated and prompted him to publicly raise the issue.
“And it’s super frustrating. Please, please fix it,” he said.
In his remarks, Pollard also pointed to a recent warning issued by the United Kingdom concerning alcohol safety in Kenya.
“Kenya has a mind of its own,” he said. “I just seen recently in the UK.”
The UK government has warned travellers about the risk of methanol poisoning from counterfeit or adulterated alcoholic drinks in Kenya. The warning advises British nationals to avoid cheap or unlabelled alcoholic drinks because of the potential risk associated with toxic substances.
The warning does not mean that all alcohol produced or sold in Kenya is dangerous. Instead, it addresses the risk posed by counterfeit or contaminated products.
Pollard’s comments therefore come against the backdrop of growing attention on the safety and regulation of alcoholic beverages in the region.
Pollard also referred to Rwanda’s decision to restrict some Kenyan alcoholic products.
On August 5, the Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority suspended the importation of dozens of alcoholic products and ordered a nationwide recall as part of a wider public-health intervention.
The directive covered 52 alcoholic beverage brands from six countries, including Kenya, India, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi and Poland.
Five Kenyan products appeared on the list: Kenya King, Safari Gin, Gilbeys Gin, Avalon Premium Vodka and Sweet Berry Vodka.
Rwanda ordered importers and distributors to stop selling the affected products, recall stock already on the market and submit recall reports to the regulator.
The regulator also warned that the list was not necessarily final and that additional products could be affected as enforcement continued.
Pollard’s comments have reignited conversations about the quality and regulation of liquor in Kenya, particularly following the international warnings and Rwanda’s recall.
Pollard did not publicly identify the product he consumed in the latest account.
Pollard used his platform to call for improvements.
“Please, please fix it,” he said.
