Locals in Nakuru woke up to traffic near Kunste hotel at the Nakuru- Nyahururu Highway, after a lorry carrying 9,000 litres of ethanol plunged into a ditch.

According to the Nakuru East Sub County Police Commander Martin Wekesa, the owner of the lorry lost control of the vehicle near the Upper hill area veering off the road landing in a ditch.

According to the police boss, the ethanol is estimated to be worth Sh 3.9 million.

Nakuru East Sub County Police Commander Martin Wekesa.

Photo credit: PURITY KINUTHIA/MTAA WANGU

He adds that the seized ethanol was on transit through Nakuru town however they have not established the product’s destination point.

“The lorry caught fire attracting members of the public who later informed officers, rushing to the scene. Upon arrival, officers together with the fire brigade department put out the fire that had since burnt at least three drums,” he says.

Mr Wekesa notes that the drums were filled with a liquid suspected to be ethanol, commonly used in the production of liquor.

Police load ethanol barrels into a lorry.

Photo credit: PURITY KINUTHIA/MTAA WANGU

Officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) collected samples of the liquid for testing, as officers from the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) confirmed that no taxes had been paid for the consignment.

“The driver had used six sacks of maize to conceal what they were transporting. The lorry was conveying 36 drums of ethanol each 250 litres,” Mr Wekesa confirmed.

“We have since launched an investigation to establish where the ethanol was coming from and heading to. The driver managed to escape but the lorry is in our custody. He is on our radar and soon he will be apprehended to shed more light on where he was taking the ethanol,” he adds.

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Police seize ethanol worth Sh 3.9 million in Nakuru town

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Purity Kinuthia