A Kenyan man’s bid to escape the stiff drinking regulations brought about by the Alcohol and Drinks Control Act ended tragically after he was found dead in Malaba, Uganda.
Uganda’s Malaba police have already arrested two people including a bar owner and an attendant to help unravel the mystery surrounding the death of the Kenyan.
The man identified by police as William Kones from Mt. Elgon District is said to have crossed the border into Uganda and into a pub dubbed Dunia Hii where he proceeded to enjoy his drink until late into the night.
However, sources said Kones ran short of cash and could not clear his bill, earning the wrath of the bar owner and his attendant.
Eyewitnesses alleged that Kones was beaten senseless and left alone for over 10 hours before he succumbed to the injuries he had sustained.
The officer in charge of Malaba, Uganda police station, Joseph Mwesige confirmed the arrest of the bar owner and the attendant who were helping the police with investigations.
The police boss said the two had denied beating the Kenyan to death, adding that police officers were interrogating the two before preferring charges against them.
However, police on the Kenyan side of Malaba town said they had not been informed of the death of the Kenyan.
The stringent new alcohol laws (dubbed Mututho laws after the Naivasha legislator who was the architect of the Act) have seen Kenyans in Malaba crossing in droves into the Uganda side where the alcohol laws are a bit lenient.
The new rules restrict drinking of any form of alcohol in retail bars and restaurants to between 5pm and 11pm on weekdays and 2pm to 11pm on weekends.
Efforts by some bar owners to stop the implementation of the law failed early this week after the High Court dismissed their case.
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