Uniquely, and at a time when the country is grappling with the challenge of alcohol and drug abuse, Kijabe town stands out as a citadel of purity.
Peculiarly, this is one and probably the only semi-urban dwelling in Kenya with an approximate population of less than 10,000 people where alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking are prohibited.
One can simply point a finger at the fact that the town is highly associated with missionaries from the African Inland Church. Kijabe was first established by missionaries from the African Inland Mission as an outpost in 1903.
Using this as a model, perhaps the time is ripe for the country to consider the establishment of such alcohol and drug-free buffer zones in every county. This will go a long way in supplementing the efforts of the government and other stakeholders currently engaged in the campaign.
The premise behind drug-free zones started in the United States of America in the 1970s when laws were enacted to protect schools and learners. Congress passed an early version of a law increasing penalties for certain drug offences committed near schools.
The idea behind all these efforts was simple – drug trafficking near schools posed a danger to children. To protect them from drug activity, lawmakers established protected zones around the places where children were most likely to be present, including schools and public parks.
Individuals caught using or selling drugs within the protected zones faced substantially higher penalties than others who engaged in the same conduct outside the zones.
While it may sound far-fetched and unviable, the idea of drug-free zones in this country is neither a figment of fertile imagination nor an impossibility. While there may be little evidence of its effectiveness from the Kijabe scenario, this cannot be used as justification as to why it should not be replicated elsewhere even as a pilot project before eventual rollout.
For a start, once identified and designated as a drug-free zone, authorities should work to ensure that no bars are established or even licensed within those places. Shops should also not be allowed to sell cigarettes or any other drug and should be made to sign agreements to that effect.
Of course, this should not be expected to be a walk in the park considering that we are currently grappling with bars, wines and spirits outlets and clubs that have encroached into residential spaces within most urban centres. However, with sustained and collaborative effort considerable progress can be made towards achieving this dream.
The beauty about these types of zones is that just like in the Kijabe case, values are handed down through generations and this ensures that children grow up with negative attitudes towards drug use.
Additionally, in this technology and artificial intelligence day and age, it would be easy to keep track of adherence and also make it easy for information sharing and resultant requisite action.
Borrowing a leaf from the Colorado example, offenders in these zones can be subjected to increased penalties if it is proved that they indeed violated laid down rules. The legal regimes and regulatory frameworks around these areas can be enhanced to ensure that they serve as effective deterrents against transgressors.
On the flipside, pundits might argue that this move would lead to an increase in nonviolent drug offenders overcrowding prisons, placing a significant burden on the criminal justice system which ultimately falls on the taxpayers.
Furthermore, it has been proven that incarceration cannot be relied upon to deter the commission of drug crimes, but the Kijabe example is enough proof that such interventions can be effective when well managed.
Once proved to be successful, the model can gradually be rolled out through the country with those in the drug-free zones acting as brand ambassadors of the programme to ensure as much ground as possible is covered.
Manager Corporate Communications – Nacada
