Solomon Chege had just landed his dream job, one that would see him travel overseas to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), anticipating great fortune in his life.
While finalizing his travel plans, the businessman decided to transport his belongings back home to Njoro in Nakuru County from Nairobi on Friday, December 3, in preparation for travel on Wednesday, December 8.
While in Njoro, Chege invited his friends for a night of merrymaking at a liquor den to celebrate his endeavors, and also to bid him farewell as he set out for a new chapter in his life.
However, the night would turn tragic as the group of men unknowingly consumed poisonous liquor and would one by one succumb to the effects.
"He was supposed to travel on Wednesday, and he had come home to bring his belongings, they(Chege and his friends) left to celebrate and at around 9pm he started complaining of a stomach upset," his wife stated at the funeral.
"He was rushed to the hospital, and as medics were attending to him, Solomon passed on," she lamented.
"The intestines, the liver, and the kidney were severely damaged, that is what the coroner said caused his death," another family member stated.
He among seven others, all from the Piave village in Njoro constituency, died on Sunday, December 5, leaving families distraught from the sudden demise of their loved ones.
This is not the first time the village has been marred by such incidences. In 2019, three people died from the consumption of deadly liquor, leaving more questions than answers, as it is now becoming a norm in the quiet settlement.
The suspects who sold the liquor are still at large and efforts to bring them to book have proved futile, causing apprehension as the illegitimate business is still booming in the area.
Nakuru Governor, Lee Kinyanjui, stated that the county government will be increasing efforts to combat the production of illicit liquor, seeing that the county is leading in the spike of fatalities from the sale and consumption of the poisonous liquor.
"We are demolishing these dens, and if need be, we will battle them in court," he vehemently stated addressing local residents.
