National Authority for the Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse has operationalized the first public rehabilitation centre for drug addicts in the Coastal city of Mombasa.
Miritini Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre was established following a presidential directive that saw the transformation of the former National Youth Service (NYS) station in the Miritini area of Mombasa into a drug rehabilitation centre managed by Nacada.
The newly built public centre in the seaside city offers free drug treatment and rehabilitation services for recovering substance users.
In 2020, the former National Youth Service Miritini barracks in Mombasa was transformed into a state-of-the-art drug users’ rehabilitation centre.
Nacada unveiled a Sh1 billion plan for the 13-acre parcel of land.
Nacada chief executive officer Victor Okioma said the centre would have a hospital, a resource centre, a multi-purpose hall, training workshops and hostels.
Nacada chair Prof Mabel Imbunga had earlier said the cost of drug rehabilitation in the country is very high.
“In Kenya, we have very few public drug rehabilitation centres. We have Kenyatta National Hospital for outpatient services, Mathare for inpatients, Moi Teaching for inpatients and the upcoming Miritini centre will be for both inpatients and outpatients,” she said.
According to NACADA Coast Regional Manager George Karissa, the new rehabilitation centre is a platform to offer hope for drug addicts and it provides both outpatient and inpatient programmes.
Karissa urged the stakeholders to join hands with Nacada to aggressively tackle drug and substance abuse among the young generation.
“Due to its prevalence, drug abuse among the youth is a time bomb waiting to detonate with devastating consequences if more concerted efforts are not adopted to address this societal vice,” he said.
