Cancerous Ginger Confirmed to Have Flooded the Kenyan Market

Ginger, according to health experts, has great nutritional value that includes its ability to fight inflammation, in fact, it has been said to have the ability to avoid cancer if one takes a slice a day, but not the current ginger in Kenya.

If you love what is commonly known as ‘dawa’ drink in most restaurants, then the news of poisonous ginger in our market will have the same effect it had on me.

‘Dawa, which means medicine, is a mixture of boiled ginger, lemon, and mint leaves with an addition of honey to sweeten the rather sour-bitter mixture, turns out most of the ginger used and sold in the market is poisonous.

Dawa is a common drink in Kenyan restaurants that costs a minimum of 100 shillings to a maximum cost of 300 shillings which means that a large number of Kenyans could have consumed the toxic ginger said to also be carcinogenic.

23,000 tonnes of ginger was imported from Vietnam and were found to be rotten, dirty and moist with grown mold according to laboratory analysis from the Government Chemist as was reported by the Sunday Nation.

The spoilt ginger was ordered unfit for consumption and according to Mr. Muhammed Duba, the Secretary-General of the Association of Public Health Officers it was ordered that the consignments should not be released into the market.

Duba, however, noted that they have learned that the spoilt consignment which was marred by aflatoxin was released to the market against the authority’s instructions, the question remains on who was supposed to implement the orders?

The consignment, according to the results, had a foul smell, appearance and had a moisture content of 14 percent, against the set maximum limit of 12 percent.

Consumption of toxins has been known to be carcinogenic, meaning cancer-causing and damage liver cells.

The toxic consignment had been imported into Kenya by Fairoils EPZ Limited in container numbered EGSU50117342 was meant for extraction of oil from the products but were instead released into the market illegally in efforts seen as to avoid losses at the expense of human life.

Health officials lay blame on the National Government for a circular it made restricting the inspection of foodstuff, disinfectants, and cosmetics, creating a leeway for uncouth business to take place.

The circular restricted the officers from taking samples of products and to only declare the arrival of shipment.

“As from June this year, we have been at the ports as spectators. Kenyans are at the mercy of the government that decides what to bring, whether good or bad. We are not allowed to take samples for laboratory tests, as our mandate had been redefined,” Mr. Duba.

The Health officials were required to write to the Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) which is too long a process and despite instructing that the consignment be destroyed, the poisonous ginger was released to the market.

KEBS, however, is said to have ignored the order and issued a certificate of conformity, which allowed the importer to move the commodity, placing the lives of Kenyans in grave danger.