Rwanda Shuts Eight Distilleries, Revokes Ethanol import Licenses as Crackdown on Illicit Alcohol Intensifies

August 2, 2026 in Trade & Industry by Editor

Rwanda has shut down eight distilleries, revoked their manufacturing licences and ordered a nationwide recall of dozens of spirit brands as part of an intensified crackdown on illicit alcohol and public health risks following a series of fatal poisoning incidents.

 

Rwanda has ordered the immediate closure of eight alcohol manufacturing plants, revoked their production licences and directed a nationwide recall of dozens of spirit brands as authorities intensify a sweeping public health crackdown on illicit and unsafe alcoholic beverages.

According to reports by Rwanda’s The New Times newspaper, the Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority (Rwanda FDA) announced on Sunday that the action followed regulatory inspections and compliance assessments conducted “in the interest of public health.”

The regulator ordered the immediate closure of Ingufu Gin Ltd, NBG Ltd, SKY Drop Industries Ltd, Africana Buffalo Ltd, Nopa Company Ltd, Roots Investment Group Ltd, Rugali Agro-Processing Company and Zhonglu Industrial Liability Company Ltd.

The enforcement action affects 38 brands of vodka, gin and whisky, with Rwanda FDA directing manufacturers to immediately withdraw all affected products from the market. The order also extends to any other alcoholic beverages produced by the eight factories, whether or not they appear on the published list.

Manufacturers have been instructed to coordinate recalls through their distribution networks and submit recall reports to the regulator within three working days, while distributors and retailers have been ordered to stop selling the affected products and return remaining stock to suppliers.

Consumers have also been advised to stop consuming the recalled alcoholic beverages with immediate effect.

The regulator warned that additional enforcement measures are underway and indicated that more manufacturing facilities could face similar action.

The closure of the distilleries comes just two days after Rwanda FDA revoked all licences for the importation of neutral spirit, or ethanol, a key raw material used in manufacturing distilled alcoholic beverages including vodka, gin, whisky and liqueurs.

The authority also suspended all pending applications to import ethanol until further notice, saying the decision was taken on public health grounds.

According to The New Times, the measures form part of a broader government campaign to combat alcohol abuse, particularly among young people, while eliminating the production and sale of illicit alcoholic beverages.

The crackdown follows a series of fatal poisoning incidents that have alarmed Rwandan authorities.

Rwanda National Police says at least 50 people have died since the beginning of 2026 after consuming illicit alcoholic drinks, while more than 100 others have suffered vision impairment. Investigations found that some illegal producers had mixed methanol—an industrial chemical that is highly toxic to humans—into alcoholic beverages.

Unlike ethanol, which is the form of alcohol used in beverages produced under regulated food safety standards, methanol is intended for industrial use and can cause blindness, organ failure and death even in relatively small quantities.

The government has responded with an intensified nationwide enforcement campaign targeting illegal alcohol production, tighter controls on manufacturing inputs and new regulations governing the production of traditional homemade beverages.

Last month, Rwanda introduced guidelines requiring individuals producing traditional drinks such as urwagwa, ikigage, ubushera and fruit juices for weddings and other community events to first obtain approval from village authorities.

The latest measures signal one of the region’s toughest regulatory responses to unsafe alcohol production and are likely to be closely watched by neighbouring East African countries, where illicit alcoholic beverages continue to pose significant public health and law enforcement challenges.