- It costs Sh30,000 a month to undergo rehab at the new centre built by Red Cross
- Most families of drug addicts are poor and cannot afford that amount
Lamu county assembly has unanimously passed a motion to sponsor drug addicts for free rehabilitation.
The move was precipitated by the rising levels of drugs and related crimes among youth in the county.
Rehab fees will be fully catered for by the county government.
The motion was presented by nominated MCA Fatma Sheebwana on Friday and passed by all 20 members present.
Sheebwana said many families can't afford the cost of rehab for their relatives affected by drugs.
She said most families of drug addicts are poor.
Early this month, Lamu launched its first rehabilitation centre situated in Hindi town, Lamu West.
The Sh98 million facility fully sponsored by the Kenya Red Cross is already operational.
Addicts seeking rehab services at the facility are required to pay Sh30,000 a month. Successful rehab lasts at least three months, bringing the entire cost to not less than Sh90,000.
Sheebwana said for the many poor families in the county such an amount is out of reach.
“We appreciate the presence of the rehab facility. It is, however, of no use to our youth who are lost in drugs due to its costly services. As a county, we can do something so that every single drug addict willing to reform can access these services,” she said.
Majority Leader Abdalla Baabad urged the county government to make plans for an annual budgetary allocation to ensure the program succeeds.
“There is a need for a budget each year to sponsor these youth and also help them get back on their feet and do something meaningful once they complete the sessions,” Baabad said.
A humanitarian volunteer was recently murdered in cold blood by a suspected drug gang in Lamu.
Amina Bakari, 30, a Kenya Red Cross volunteer and Nyumba Kumi official, was hacked to death by unknown assailants as she closed her shop at around 11pm.
Her body was discovered by neighbours who rushed her to the Mbwajumwali dispensary where she was pronounced dead.
Elders say she may have been killed by one of the many marauding drug gangs in the region.
Lamu Woman Rep Ruweida Obbo has proposed the death penalty for persons convicted of drug peddling and smuggling in the county.
She says the government isn’t fully committed in the war on drugs, with the situation worsening each day.
“There is no safety and peace in most of these villages because of drugs. We want drug peddlers given the treatment as criminal gangs in Mombasa like Wakali Kwanza. That toughness is what we need. Let such people be shot dead. The society will be better without them,” Obbo said.