Religious leaders in Wamba town, Samburu east are leading week long demonstrations against selling and smoking bhang in the town.
The men of faith said that free trade of the substance has negatively affected development in the community leading to broken families and turning youth into zombies.
Angry residents who joined the demonstrations noted that all their efforts to curb the bhang business have been in vain claiming that the drug dealers enjoy government protection.
“They threaten to harm me whenever I speak against the illegal business yet it has ruined future of my six children,” complained Mariam Lekudere a mother of nine.
The clerics are calling upon national and county government to intervene and save the youths by taking action that would stop bhang peddling in the town.
The county’s religious leaders’ association coordinator Rev Joseph Lemidi together with his vice chairperson Stephen Larmoko said some people are forced to leave their homes escaping from attacks by their children who have been addicted to bhang smoking.
“I ask county and national government to use any means to fight bhang business in this town so that we can move together with other Kenyans in building the nation,” said Larmako.
The demonstrators warned a businessman believed to be dealing in drugs to vacate Wamba town if he is not going to stop his business immediately.
“We welcome anyone who is coming with an idea that will benefit our children, women and men, not an idea that will ruin our lives,” said Rev Lemidi.
Chairperson of Maendeleo ya Wanawake Association in the region Rosal Lororwa said a number of people have lost their lives and future due to bhang abuse.
“Our children are suffering, we have those who graduated from universities but they went mad due to smoking bhang, a man sliced his child into pieces and another one attacked his mother this year because of bhang,” she said.
By Robert Githu
