Brewers and sellers of cheap alcohol were part of the government’s prayer items at Nyayo on Tuesday, DP Rigathi Gachagua has revealed.
Gachagua said they prayed for unscrupulous individuals selling alcohol to young children to change their ways.
“We face many challenges with our young people and these prayers are most appropriate as we pray for those who are selling cheap and illicit liquor to our young children that God can touch their hearts and change their ways and be merciful to our children,” the DP said.
“As we hold these prayers for rain, 5.3 million Kenyans are staring at starvation, more than 2.5 million heads of cattle have died and the situation doesn’t look any better so the prayers today to intercede to God to give us rain is more than welcome."
This comes as the problem of drug and alcohol abuse among young people continues to be a great concern to the country.
A national survey carried out in June 2018 by the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse found that 20.2 per cent of primary school pupils have ever used at least one drug or substance of abuse in their lifetime.
The survey, ‘Status of Drugs and Substance Abuse among Primary School Pupils in Kenya’ also found that 16.9 per cent of primary school pupils are currently using at least one drug or substance of abuse.
It further revealed that 3.2 per cent of primary school pupils were using tobacco, 2.6 per cent were using alcohol and 2.3 per cent were using miraa/ muguka.
Nacada last year said the alarming rising cases of unrest reported in schools in the recent past might be a result of drug and alcohol abuse among learners.
The agency said despite there being no evidence pointing to the same, previous surveys in learning institutions have unearthed the magnitude of the menace within schools.
