A rise in drug abuse is to blame for the rising suicide, homicide, domestic violence and crime in the country, Kisumu Deputy Governor Mathews Owili has said.
He also said stress and depression, which interfere with mental health, are contributing factors.
Owili called on the national and county governments, and other stakeholders to work together to address on drug abuse and prevent more deaths.
He spoke on Wednesday during the celebration of the International Day on Anti-Drug Abuse at Jomo Kenyatta Sportsground in Kisumu.
Owili proposed enhanced collaboration between state agencies to effectively and efficiently implement prevention and mitigation programs on alcohol and substance abuse.
“We must all unite to fight this menace and rid our society of its negative especially among our youths. Drug abuse has been a menace in Kenya for far too long,” he said.
Owili told Kenyans to stop living in denial and accept that the drugs menace, and formulate right strategies to counter it to help save the youths.
“We must now come together as a nation to save our children. Nobody is immune to drug addiction and it affects all of us. It is a disease that we cannot run away from,” he said.
Owili said 4.9 million Kenyans aged between 15 – 65 are abusing at least one drug or other substance.
This is according to the survey of the status of drug and substance in 2017 by the National Authority for the Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse.
In another report by the authority, the country is losing at least 5,000 people to alcoholism every year. At least 65 percent of these drug-related deaths are among the youth.
The most recent survey released by Nacada dubbed “Status of Drugs and Substance Abuse among Primary School Pupils in Kenya 2019” has also presented a very worrying trend.
It showed that 71.3 percent of the students interviewed agreed that students are likely to initiate alcohol and drug abuse in schools as it presents them with the best opportunities.
Owili said the school environment is a critical point of interaction between the students and the larger society.
“We have to launch a serious crack down within our communities, schools and even churches by putting forward a robust sensitization process where we can directly engage our school children and the youth,” Owili said.
The recent survey, Owili said, also revealed that pupils were most likely to use drugs during school holidays, on their way home from school, during weekends and during inter-school competitions.
“The report further indicates that at least 17 percent of pupils in primary schools are using one drug or substance; these are real concerns that we cannot take for granted,” he said.
The report further cited kiosks and bars near schools, friends, and workers as the common sources of drugs used by school children.
This, Owili said, calls for vigilance across the board to help mitigate drug abuse among the young ones. He said they are undertaking various initiatives to support the fight against drug abuse and illicit trafficking.
“In our county, we have embarked on a programmed that can continuously allow us to control some of the risk factors the youths are faced with,” Owili said.
He asked youths to make good use of the adolescent centres which are extremely useful in taking care of their health and social development needs through the provision of proper guidance and counselling.
“These centres can also be used as a platform to provide information on alcohol and drug abuse,” Owili added.
The county passed the Kisumu County Alcoholic Drinks Act 2014.
The county in partnership with the national government’s security team has launched a major crackdown on the illicit brew.
It is aimed at curbing the entry of second-generation liquor into the county from neighbouring Uganda.
“These sub-standard alcoholic products have continued to render our youths useless. Many lives have been lost,” Owili added.
Kenya is a significant transit country with a variety of illicit drugs including heroin and cocaine, he said.
The county has also partnered with other state organs to establish treatment and rehabilitation centres across Kisumu.
Construction of Masogo Nyang’oma Rehabilitation Centre in Muhoroni subcounty is complete. Plans are underway to build other rehabilitation and rescue centres in Nyakach, Nyando, and Kisumu West subcounties.
