Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has said the government is ready to eradicate the rampant drugs and substance abuse in the Coast area.
He said they are going to work with stakeholders to ensure that the area is free of drugs and that the youth are saved from the vice.
Gachagua said the President William Ruto-led government shared in the concerns of parents and leaders, who are apprehensive of the drug abuse plague.
He spoke on Saturday during the 8th Anniversary of the ACK St Thomas Church, Malindi Diocese.
"We will find a common strategy of ending drugs and substance abuse in the region and cannot allow drug dealers to rip us off an entire generation," he said.
"We will redeem the youth and restore them to dignity and a productive life; it is the right thing to do."
Further, the Deputy President noted that the region is strategic to the economy of the country, especially with the Blue Economy.
He said the government will continue investing in logistical infrastructure to accelerate growth through the Blue Economy.
"Our nation relies on this logistic hub, which is immensely endowed with Blue Economy, Touristic Resources, among others," he said.
Commenting on the church's anniversary, he said they will continue supporting churches and other institutions in establishing income-generating projects for economic autonomy.
The drug menace in the Coast region has been on the rise, causing response even from clergymen, with a section vowing to take the vice head-on and ensure rehabilitation of addicts.
The Coast has over 18,000 injectable drug users, who are hooked to hard drugs, while over 500,000 others abuse other substances like alcohol, miraa, and cigarettes, among others.
On Wednesday, some 400 members of the Association of Pentecostal and Evangelical Clergy of Kenya (APECK) were trained on how to handle drug addicts.
This is as they began the aggressive mission to rehabilitate them.
APECK national chair Reverend Fredrick Ngugi said the church has been doing little to help fight drugs and help drug addicts but has now woken up.
He noted that most of the drug addicts are intelligent people who are only sick and need the love and care families give to their sick loved ones.
"Addicts are not criminals. They are sick people. They are intelligent people. The devil targets these intelligent people," he said.
On Wednesday, Interior CS Kithure Kindiki said the government is in the process of introducing new legislation to enable the National Authority for the Campaign Against Drug and Alcohol Abuse to repress the illicit alcohol and drug supply chain.
Under the new legislation, Nacada will for the first time, have powers to deal with the manufacturers and suppliers of the killer brews together with those involved in the distribution of drugs at source.
Currently, the authority’s sole mandate is limited to undertaking public education and awareness campaigns against alcohol and drug abuse in schools, workplaces, colleges, universities, technical institutions, county governments, ministries, parastatals, national government administrative offices, faith-based institutions, Community-Based Organisations and NGOs.
"We want to destroy the manufacture and supply chain of alcohol and drugs as much as we are dealing with the demand for them. That legislation will go a long way in strengthening the fight against drug and alcohol abuse," Kindiki said.
