Parents have been advised to be extra vigilant during school holidays because many drug peddlers take advantage of the idle children and recruit them to supply drugs at a fee and in the process they get hooked.
A Nakuru Scout Commissioner, Mrs Ruth Kenyaga said it was imperative for children to be kept busy to avoid falling into the trap of the deadly game of taking drugs.
Speaking during an interview with KNA on Friday at the scout’s offices in Nakuru town Thursday, Kenyaga urged parents to train their children from an early age to ‘choose to refuse negative peer-pressure’ even if it means being isolated and rejected by their friends.
The Scout’s commissioner regretted recent incident where secondary school students were nabbed by police at a play station shop and claimed that they wanted to ‘enjoy playing video games’ before going home.
“There are very high chances that the students were either taking drugs or being recruited into the vice, because it’s not normal for students from various schools to congregate together without a common agenda,” she stated.
Kenyaga added that there was a tremendous increase of drug-taking in Nakuru town and children as young as nine years were sniffing ‘mafuta ya ndege’, which they smear on handkerchiefs and keep on inhaling throughout the day.
She urged parents to encourage their children to join the scouts club since they provide various voluntary activities, which keep the children occupied during the school holidays.
The commissioner said the most important word which parents rarely emphasize on was the ability to say “NO” because children who have the capacity of using the word firmly scare away drug recruiters and peddlers.
She noted that many children reluctantly drink, smoke, and take drugs because they don’t know how to say ‘NO’ to their friends.
Kenyaga added that a number of parents were in denial even when it was obvious that their children were taking drugs since an observant parent was likely to note even the slightest change of behavior.
By Veronica Bosibori
