A three-year-old girl named Ihirwe Ikaze Ethia from Mururu Sector in Rusizi District has died after allegedly being given a drink known as Kata-moto by a man who was drinking it.
Kata-moto is an alcoholic beverage from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The incident occurred on Tuesday, 6 October 2026, when the child encountered a man identified as Tuyishime Jean Claude, whom residents said gave her the drink. Shortly after drinking it, the child began vomiting severely.
Mukantwali Deocela, who immediately took the child to a health facility, said she found her vomiting and smelling of alcohol.
She said: “As soon as the child started vomiting, I was the one who immediately took her to the health facility. I carried her on my back, and she kept vomiting, with a smell like alcohol. When we arrived at the health facility, I was asked to take her off my back, and the medical staff told me that she had already died.”
The child’s father, Imaniriho Emmanuel, said he learned about the incident while he was at work after being called by his wife.
He said: “When I arrived, we found her vomiting through both her mouth and nose. When I asked what had happened, I was told that a man named Tuyishime Jean Claude had given her alcohol. That is how my child died.”
The Executive Secretary of Mururu Sector, Ntawizera Jean Pierre, said that after being alerted by the health centre, different authorities immediately began investigating the incident, and Tuyishime was arrested and handed over to the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB).
He said: “It is true. At around 2:30 p.m., we were alerted by the health centre, which informed us that a child had been brought there and had died shortly afterwards. However, it was reported that someone had given her something to drink, which they suspected was alcohol, after which she started vomiting. We immediately worked with other authorities, and the man was arrested and handed over to the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB).”
The child’s body was taken to a forensic examination facility to determine the cause of her death.