Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has weighed in his support against the recently conducted Nacada shisha raid in Nairobi.
In a statement on Saturday, the CS said that the National Authority for the Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (Nacada) should continue with the raid, noting that shisha is illegal.
"Shisha addicts must face the law, as it has been illegal in Kenya since 2017," Duale said on his X social media platform.
The Defence CS highlighted that the law enforcement agents must continue to raid shisha dens.
In an operation led by NACADA CEO Anthony Omerikwa,at least 25 people were arrested last Friday night at a popular spot for shisha users.
117 shisha bongs were also confiscated at a shisha joint in Kilimani, Nairobi.
Omerkiwa said despite the ban on shisha since 2017, its use remains prevalent in the country.
“Shisha was declared illegal in 2017. The sale and use was banned,” Omerikwa said.
“Our team and multi-agency will continue with the investigations to get to the bottom of it, we are trying to look if this place is licensed, whether they have a public license and also if public health come here to see if it is in the right shape.”
Defending the timing of the operation, Omerikwa cited the link between increased substance abuse during Christmas and the link between drunk driving and accidents.
“One of the key aspects is very many young people get inducted into drug and substance abuse during Christmas.”
Shisha is a glass-bottomed water pipe in which fruit-flavoured tobacco is covered with foil and roasted with charcoal.
The tobacco smoke passes through a water chamber and is inhaled.
In December 2017, the then Health Minister Cleopa Mailu banned shisha smoking saying it had encouraged the peddling of hard drugs.
Kenya became the fourth country in East Africa to prohibit shisha, after Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda.
Offenders face fines starting at Sh50,000 or a minimum jail term of six months.
According to the World Health Organisation, the volume of smoke inhaled in an hour-long shisha session is estimated to be the equivalent of smoking between 100 and 200 cigarettes.
