DRINKING PROBLEM IN EAST AFRICA

Alcoholism threat to entire East African region
Ugandans 'drink like fish'

By Valentine Marc Nkwame

And finally, if it is of any consolation, Tanzania lags behind Uganda when it comes to alcohol consumption per capita in East Africa.

The per capita alcohol consumption in Uganda stands at 19.5 litres. The World Health Organization ranked Uganda the leading consumer of alcohol in the world closely followed by Luxembourg at 17.5 liters and Czech Republic which drowns 16.2 liters per capita.

Uganda not only leads the other five EA member states in the region, when it comes to the average individual rates of draining the 'one for the road' and many more thereafter, but the country is also reported to be producing even more underage drinkers in addition of being the most drunk nation on the globe.

But the 'one for the road' syndrome in the region, according to experts, is far from being fully documented to perfection. Tanzania for instance, is yet to conduct a thorough up-to-date study on her own people's drinking habits. This is according to the Chairman of the Parliamentary Population and Development Organization, Paul Kimiti (MP).

Arusha hosted a regional Eastern Africa Alcohol Conference last week. Speaking at the event the Ambassador of Sweden to Tanzania Staffa Herrstrom stated that the relation between alcoholism and crime in Tanzania stands at 63 percent according to views of people interviewed in 2007.

On the other hand Arusha consumes over 35 percent of the total beer being produced at the local TBL factory here which serves a total of five Northern Regions of Kilimanjaro, Tanga, Manyara, Singida and Arusha itself which seems to drink an elephant share of the brews.

The local plant of the Tanzania Breweries Limited produces 62 million liters per year, which means over 21 million liters of alcohol go down the throats of Arusha residents at the rate of 2 million liters per month or around 64,285 liters per day in total.

But factory brewed beer is not the only alcohol provider in the vicinity, Arusha is home to variety of traditional brews including the so-called 'Banana wine' made in Kijenge, Dadii and a number of illegal gins. Daddii is a major intoxicant in the slums and it sell at Tsh 300 a gallon. It is respected as a liquid bread as well as an intoxicant.

Late last year, this paper reported the alarming rate at which drinking pubs keep mushrooming in and around the town of Arusha.

Meanwhile if you are in Arusha and want a cold beer, follow the Coca-Cola and Pepsi-cola signs. Recent observations indicate that local drinking pubs use soft drink emblems as their signboards.

While it not known why, the trend is slowly but surely blurring the line between intoxicating alcohol drinks and ordinarily tames beverages such as sodas. While Tanzanian laws prohibit any person under the age of 18 to enter a bar, let alone drink alcohol, signs advertising soft drinks may serve as baits to lure youngsters into alcoholism.

Adam Ng'imba is the Secretary General for Sober-Tanzania an organization working to prevent teetotalers especially the youth from attempting alcohol consumption unfortunately, Sober is yet to establish a branch in Arusha.

"We are expanding slowly, right now we cover Dar-es-salaam, Dodoma, Iringa, Morogoro and Coastal regions," explained Adam when being interviewed in Arusha early this week.

Dr. Bertha Maegga the Executive Secretary for Tanzania Public Health Association said there was a need to revive laws that ban early initiation of the youths into drinking. "We have the laws but they are now being enforced. once the youngsters get hooked it is difficult to rehabilitate them."