- Kwale is among the coastal counties that have a high number of drug addicts
- Youths are addicted to bhang, heroin, mogoka, and tobacco among other commonly abused drugs
Image: SHABAN OMAR
Kwale Woman Representative Fatuma Masito has urged the national government to escalate the war against drugs and substance abuse.
Masito said the drug menace has shuttered the dreams of many youths in the region.
She spoke at Kiteje in Matuga while chairing a youth football match organised by Kwale Focus organisation.
The football match was aimed at engaging the youth and sensitising them against drugs and criminal activities.
Kiteje is one among the many areas in Kwale affected by various social vices and insecurity.
Kwale is among the coastal counties that have a high number of drug addicts. More than 10,000 youths are addicted to bhang, heroin, mogoka, and tobacco among other commonly abused drugs.
In 2021, Teens Watch Rehabilitation Centre, a Kwale youth affair organisation, revealed that at least 8,000 boys and girls below 18 years were addicted to Mogoka with 5,000 others addicted to tobacco.
The majority of the addicts were reported to be suffering from mental health forcing some to drop out of school and join criminal gangs.
Masito said the drug issue must be permanently addressed to ensure the youth have a prosperous future.
"Our children are perishing, it is time we put an end to drug abuse," she said.
She said the government must go for the drug dealers, arrest and charge them in a court of law because the war on drugs is taking longer than expected while the culprits walk free.
The Woman Rep said many youths and organisations have joined together to fight the menace but they lack enough support from the government.
"They cannot be successful without the help of the national government. The peddlers must be arrested," she said.
She said the future of the youth and the economy will be in jeopardy as long as the drug business continues.
Masito, however, called for concerted efforts to effectively combat the drug and substance abuse.
She said religious leaders, politicians and parents must work together to secure the future of the youth.
Masito said fighting drugs and substance abuse is a war that must be won at all cost.
She urged the youth to focus on their education instead of taking drugs and joining criminal gangs.
(Edited by Tabnacha O)