The Kenya Pentecostal Bishops and Pastors Forum has raised its concerns due to the increase in youth deaths.
Speaking to local media, the Forum said the deaths were a result of high rates of depression among the youth.
The religious leaders said that there have been rise in upcoming denominations that do not align with the church teachings.
“Deaths are increasing mostly in Embu, where the youths easily access the drugs in the market,” the leaders said.
“This is also happening in the whole country, mostly where the young people are dying by suicide.”
The leaders said that the deaths of youths are unexpected, as in an ideal society, young people are supposed to bid their final goodbyes to their parents and not vice versa.
The forum is aiming at accessing the students and the youth in their institutions and even in prisons to try and help reduce depression cases.
"We as religious leaders have dedicated ourselves to moving to institutions and even prisons to talk to our youths,” they said.
The men of cloth added that they are coordinating with police officers, so as to be able to reach the youths.
A report by the National Authority for Campaign Against Drug Abuse (NACADA) showed that a staggering 40 per cent (total college population 500,000) are either hooked on alcohol or another intoxicant of their choice.
The report released in February 2025 painted a wretched outlook, with one in every 12 university students battling addiction.
The craving for drugs, especially alcohol, was most prevalent among students in private and public universities.
The burden of alcohol-related addiction was found to be higher among private and public university students, especially the non-religious ones.
The survey on drug use among university students also revealed that, as a result, there was a high prevalence of depression.
Nacada established that one in every 17 students had moderately severe depressive disorders, with the case being severe in another 3.5 per cent.
The study found that female students had a higher prevalence of depression compared to their male counterparts.
It was further established that at least 8.7 per cent of university students had severe alcohol use disorders – addiction, the males being higher.
“One in every 10 male students and one in every 15 female students had severe alcohol use disorders,” the report reads.
Nacada reports that drugs are easily accessible to students as the spaces within the colleges and neighbourhoods are not drug-free.
