An anti-drug activist in Kericho has called upon leaders in the region to set up drug and alcohol abuse centers in a bid to save youths from the vice.
The National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) ambassador, William Rotich, said the war against alcohol and substance abuse was now a threat as it was gradually threatening to reach unprecedented levels among the youthful population, and immediate action was required.
Speaking during the inauguration of the Kericho County Students Association at Kericho High School, Rotich said the negative impacts of substance and alcohol abuse were evident in the county and needed concerted effort from the hierarchy of leadership.
The NACADA envoy urged both the county assembly and the county executive to come up with policies that will initiate and fund the centers, adding that the negative impacts of substance and alcohol abuse were becoming more prevalent with each passing day.
“County government leadership ought to step up the fight against drug and alcohol abuse in the county and redirect their energies on the youth who are vulnerable to the vice, as the negative impacts of substance and alcohol abuse are rampant,” said Rotich.
Rotich further reiterated that a vast majority of addicts were unable to afford the expensive drugs used to treat their addictions, thus the need for timely interventions by both the county and national governments.
“The illicit brews, alcoholic drinks enterprises, and rampant bhang uptake among our young people across Kericho have to be checked; if not, we will lose many young people to drugs and alcoholism. Rehabilitation is expensive, and it is not often that an addict recovers completely after undergoing this programme,” said Rotich.
He appealed to the local administrators, police, civic leaders, and county leadership to work together towards promoting sanity in the war against drug and alcohol abuse in the county.
By Sarah Njagi
