•Officials say alcohol and drug abuse have been classified as the biggest problems to the implementation of the Big Four Agenda
Drug trafficking and abuse is on the rise in Ukambani region, the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse has said.
Nacada chief executive Victor Okioma on Wednesday said Machakos, Kitui and Makueni counties which have traditionally been used as trafficking areas are now huge consumers of drugs including bhang.
He said the demand had risen.
Okioma said the rising alcohol and drug abuse in the region had become a huge threat to the realisation of President Uhuru Kenyatta's Big Four Agenda.
"As a government, alcohol and drug abuse have been classified as the biggest problems to the implementation of the Big Four Agenda," Okioma said.
He was speaking in Machakos town during a consultative forum on combating alcohol and drug abuse in the region.
"Statistics show that Eastern region has become a hotspot especially in Mavoko constituency where people have turned homes into bars," he said.
Okioma said Kenyans have become innovative in manufacturing products made of cannabis sativa to evade police arrest. The products enter the market unnoticed.
"The issue of cannabis is a serious issue because in Kitui, the county has become a vibrant route for transporting bhang through Garissa. It ends up in Lamu and we have evidence that the product ends up in Somalia," Okioma said.
He urged security agents to monitor the trends and devise ways of countering them.
Abdi Hassan who represented Eastern regional commissioner said the region has become a destination for illicit brews and deadly drugs.
Bhang alone in October this year was in high demand with police confiscating 867 rolls, Hassan said.
"In Makueni we impounded four brooms of bhang which were sealed in a way to look like the hay grass. It was very interesting," he said.
Another 6.2kgs of bhang was confiscated in Kitui in Kanyoonyoo area in the same month.
"In Marsabit and Isiolo counties, our officers nabbed 529.5kgs of bhang in October alone which was being transported from Ethiopia," Hassan said.
He called for concerted efforts to curb the trend.
In a 2017 survey which was conducted by Nacada from a sample of 3,362 households, Eastern recorded an alcohol prevalence of 14.4 per cent from the age of 15-65 years. Nairobi was leading with a current usage prevalence of 17.5 per cent.
Alcohol and drug abuse disorders had a prevalence of 10.4 per cent among Kenyans aged between 15 and 65 years.
Nacada Eastern region manager Alex Njeru said the government was spending a lot of money in treating and rehabilitating people with alcohol, drug and substance abuse disorders.
He said Nacada in partnership with other stakeholders was treating and rehabilitating 900 Kenyans in nine regions each year.
A majority of Kenyans were suffering in silence, he said and urged well-wishers to chip in and help.
"As Nacada, we will be treating 100 people in nine regions where we will start with Makueni and Machakos counties with 30 people each and 40 others in Meru."
"This is just a drop in the ocean compared to the number we have in this country so we urge stakeholders to chip in and help so we can reach many people."
Njeru said stigma had pushed many victims to suffer in silence. Some were even engaging in petty crimes like stealing cash to buy medicine.
"There is stigma emerging among those people who are already addicted to alcohol and drug abuse and they are afraid of coming out for help. I want to tell Kenyans to stop the stigma because addiction is a disease like any other and not a death sentence. These people need help so let's volunteer and bring them out to get treated," Njeru said.
Edited by P.O
