The drugs problem is widespread especially in urban areas and there's no place where only one drug is used. You'll find lots of alcohol, cannabis and party drugs (Mollys and Ecstasy).
This is a global issue.
The government isn't doing enough about mental health, so you don't expect them to do anything specifically about substances used.
Worst case scenario is that people die especially from overdoses, driving and even others jumping from buildings while they were high. They are potentially harmful substances that need to be controlled, especially for young people.
Any substance that changes the way your body behaves leads to dependency, a chronic illness that requires treatment.
Parents should know where their children spend their time, who they spend time with and how they spend the money they give them and use the resources they make available to them.
Many parents assume their teenagers are grown-ups but their brains are still developing and their social values are developing. The influence of peers is greater than the influence of parents. So if you don't expose them early on to what you believe is right, then they'll find somebody to expose them to it.
Parenthood is about engagement with young people as they grow right from early childhood all through teenage years, adolescence to early adulthood.
Developing a relationship with your children is a useful way of knowing and deciding whether you're happy with what they're doing or not.
The tragedy is that many Kenyans themselves have not had good parenting. So they often replicate the mistakes their parents made or multiply them. Some parenting styles are particularly harmful.
Either we let them be or we're extremely disciplinarian —we don't allow them to think for themselves or make decisions —so they develop resentment and this pushes them to their peers and friends where they are more comfortable. That's where the highest risk of being introduced to bad behaviour is highest.
Parents need to develop a relationship with their children and they need to make time to do this.
The lecturer at Moi University spoke to the Star.
