RUVUMA, June 19 -- IN Songea District, nestled within the beautiful landscapes of Ruvuma Region, a not-so-beautiful health crisis is bubbling under the surface and this time, it is not malaria, typhoid, or another textbook tropical disease.

The unlikely villain? A clear, often potent liquid known locally as gongo-a home-brewed alcoholic drink that might just be sending people straight from the barstool to the dialysis chair.

While some residents might raise their glasses to the quick buzz gongo offers, the government is raising red flags.

According to the area District Commissioner Wilman Kapenjama Ndile, there has been a significant and worrying rise in kidney disease cases in Songea, and all signs point back to the bottle, more speci...