The Ministry of Health is taking a lead in the fight against drug abuse in the country, which is not only a social but also a health problem.
Senior Deputy Secretary at the Ministry, Mr. Mawira Mungania, who was speaking in Garissa County during a three-day stakeholder engagement forum on curbing drug abuse, said that there is a need to shun all kinds of addictions, as they are a health concern.
“We are creating awareness among our population on the dangers of abusing drugs. We have realised that as a Ministry, we have a role to play because addiction is not just a social problem but also more of a health concern for this nation,” Mungania said.
“When talking about Vision 2030, we require a population that is quite energetic and productive and we cannot achieve this unless we get our people out of the addiction menace,” he added.
Mungania said that the Ministry has brought together various stakeholders, who include the county governments, NACADA, the opinion leaders, the judiciary, CBOs, the NGAOs, health officials and other leaders, to lobby them into talking to Kenyans against drug abuse.
He noted that once they build capacity for the players involved, they would go further to speak to the addicts and guide them through the recovery process.
“We will also be seeking to establish fully equipped rehabilitation centres at Level 5 hospitals in the country, where we will also talk to the addicts themselves and work with others as role models that addiction can be overcome,” he said.
He called on communities to end stigma against addicts and noted that they still have hope to recover and regain their lives.
The National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) Vice Chairperson Ann Mathu called for stringent measures to be put in place to address the issue of drugs and substance abuse in the North Eastern region that come in through the porous border.
“As we are all aware, the border is very porous and we have drugs coming in very easily from other countries, especially in this region. There is also a question of whether some of our police officers are compromised because, how do the drugs get into this town miles away from the border?” Mathu posed.
Additionally, she warned Kenyans against abusing prescription and over-the-counter medicines, which are cheap and readily available.
“We have seen drugs like diazepam and Benylin being abused here because they are readily available at all local pharmacies. If you use these drugs without a doctor’s prescription or use them in the wrong way, then it will become harmful to your body,” she said.
“People have also become innovative in very many ways. A bottle of beer on average costs about 300 shillings but a pill of diazepam over the counter is 10 shillings which they are using with marijuana, which is also easily available at 10 shillings to produce something that can keep them high for a whole day,” she added.
Mathu further said that fighting drug abuse is a collective responsibility for everyone and urged members of the public to readily share information on drug smuggling, drug trafficking and use to enable regulatory and security agencies to take action.
“We will have an open baraza to talk to the members of the public and ask them to tell us where these drugs come from. People have information and they need to be able to share it with us so that we can take action to stop drug abuse,” she said.
By Erick Kyalo
