In Kenya, 'Obama beer' is suddenly popular Senator lager sold cheap as alternative to unsafe home brew

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At 4 p.m., Peterson's Bar in the dusty slum of Kibera is packed with dozens of noisy men sitting around poorly constructed wooden tables on an uneven dirt floor. Most are tossing back glasses of a lager known popularly as "Obama beer."

"It's very nice," said Peter Mgaitha, a retired Army captain. "I drink 20 glasses every day."

Although the beer's red and gold label says "Senator," Kenyans have dubbed it Obama after Democrat Barack Obama, whose late father was born in Kenya and who remains a popular figure here. (In the United States, Sixpoint Craft Ales, a Brooklyn, N.Y., brewery, has created an ale called "Hop Obama" in tribute to the Illinois senator).

Demand is soaring for "Obama," which at 40 cents a glass is marketed to low-income consumers as an alternative to dangerous, cheap home brews. More than half of Kenya's 32 million people live on less than $1 a day, and mainstream beers at $1 to $3 a bottle are out of reach for most. As a result, Senator has become the beer of choice in many slums and rural areas across Kenya.

Behind a thin wire screen, bartender Stanley Kiama dispenses 200 gallons of Senator beer daily. "It's not expensive," he said. "That's why people love it."

To discourage the often lethal home brews made from corn, sorghum or sugarcane, the government removed the excise tax from Senator beer after the brand was launched in 2004 by East African Breweries Limited.

"Consumers were finding that our beer was inaccessible," said Ken Kariuki, the company's director of corporate affairs. "Small players were starting to distill alcohol and sell it."

A 2003 brewery study found that 55 percent of alcohol consumed in Kenya is homemade. Known as changaa or busaa, these spirits contain up to 40 percent alcohol and are often mixed with battery acid or formaldehyde to increase potency. At 25 cents a glass, these popular alternatives to more expensive beer are also known as "kill me quick."

In 2000, 150 Kenyans died and hundreds were hospitalized from drinking a toxic brew in a slum near Nairobi, sparking calls for the government to crack down on the thousands of bootleg distilleries. Another 50 died in 2005, the latest statistics available. Many more have been blinded from these drinks.

"We decided to make the most affordable product possible ... to stop people from drinking rubbish," said Kariuki.

As a result, the brewery did away with bottles and packaging for Senator beer, using 13 gallon kegs. Each day, the company ships 8,500 kegs throughout the nation, and plans to expand output since it can't keep up with demand.

Popularity is growing due to a heavy marketing campaign in the slums, where underground bars still sell homemade spirits. "We go into those illicit bars and tell them, 'if you stop selling this nonsense, we will give you a license to sell Senator,' " said Kariuki.

Most Kenyans began calling the beer "Obama" soon after the American politician won his senate seat in 2004. Kariuki said the company never uses his name to market the beer, but admits Obama's popularity helps sell the product - especially in his father's homeland - Nyanza province.

"In the area where Obama comes from, we've seen an increase in consumption, especially after his (2006) visit," he said. During his last trip, cheering crowds of thousands swarmed his every public appearance.

Since then, many Kenyans have closely following the U.S. presidential race and typically toast Obama's primary victories with Senator beer.

"We call it Obama beer because we are trying to link us to him," said bar customer, James Mwangi, 25. "He is so far away, but we support him a lot."