by chacha
Illegal drink? I don’t think so.
Busaa is a purely African drink made from sorghum, maize or
millet flour.
This traditional drink is very popular in Western Kenya and
some communities in Nyanza Province.
In this communities especially the Abaluhya , Abagusii and the
Abakuria communities all cultural festivities are not complete without this
purely traditional concoction with no side effects apart from making you high
and mellow. That is in the countryside.
Due to advanced rural-urban migration for obvious reasons, this
traditional frothy drink has found its way into the heart of the capital city
and other major cities in the country.
Although it’s an adult’s affair the drink knows no limits as
even teens engage in its consumption.
Weekends are the most popular days for its consumption here
in the slums of Mukuru and believe me it sells like hot-cakes on a rainy day.
“Busaa reminds us of home in up-country and keeps our
culture intact’’. Says Mr. Wekesa
The consumers usually sit in a group of 3 to six or even
more people depending on the size of the container containing the drink. They drink
from the container using pipes while listening to traditional music.
All was well until the Government cracked the whip on
brewers of cheap local drinks.
Landmawe area sub-chief Mr. Famau Ali has every reason to
believe that there are other harmful substances that are included in the
brewing process hence making the end product harmful.
“Some brewers don’t mind the health of their customers. They
add harmful substances to increase the level of alcoholism that’s why there are
rampant cases of blindness and sudden deaths after consuming the drinks”, he
says.
Due to Government strictness on this subject, brewing and
drinking of busaa has become a game of cat and mouse.
The brewers have established hide-outs in these slums of Mukuru
only known by regular consumers making it very hard for the Government to
exercise the full arm of the law.
“This culture of police harassment is surely going to kill
our tradition which was exercised by our fore-fathers”, says Mrs. Nekesa Wafula
with a tone of sadness.
“Instead of banning the drinks they should introduce strict
guidelines and means of regulating the brewing process through licensing.” She adds.
“These local alcoholic drinks have claimed many lives and
ruined many homes. They have caused poverty and despair. Enough is enough. The drinks
maybe traditional but some greedy people are benefiting at the expense of
innocent Kenyans.” Says Mr. Ali.
Whether illegal or not, one thing is clear, our tradition which
is supposed to be celebrated and enjoyed anywhere in our beloved country of
many cultures is at stake and something needs to be done pretty soon.
