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Arrest and prosecute all drug peddlers, Duale tells county commissioners

Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale addresses religious leaders and students during a graduation ceremony at Madrasa Khadija Bint Khuwaylid in Garissa Town Constituency on February 25, 2024. (Photo: Aden Duale)

By Abdimalik Hajir | 10 Mar 2024

Duale affirmed Interior minister Kithure Kindiki's declaration of a war on drugs, warning that all those involved in the menace will be dealt with according to law.

Local administrators must ensure all drug peddlers are arrested and prosecuted, Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said Sunday, announcing that the government will end the drug and substance abuse menace plaguing many counties.

Duale affirmed Interior minister Kithure Kindiki's declaration of a war on drugs, warning that all those involved in the menace will be dealt with according to law.

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"County commissioners, you have the full support to arrest and prosecute anyone who is a drug peddler. If parents come forward arrest them too and charge them as part of a drug cartel," he said.

The CS, speaking during a graduation ceremony at the Hafsa bint Sirin Madrasah in Garissa Township, also noted that drug and substance abuse have contributed to increasing cases of sexual abuse.

He added that it was concerning that more youths were smoking shisha yet the manufacture, advertisement and sale of this and other substances is illegal.

"It is the policy of the government and President William Ruto to eliminate drug and substance abuse. We cannot allow generations to be destroyed by drugs," Duale said and urged parents to instil morals and religious values in their children to keep them from going astray.

Agencies including the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) have been conducting crackdowns in several parts of the country as part of efforts to tame drug and substance abuse.

Last week, police in Garissa County launched an anti-drugs operation that saw at least 10 people arrested, some of them operators of illegal pharmacies.

Speaking in Saka, Directorate of Criminal Investigation boss Mohamed Amin said the government will open an anti-narcotics office in Garissa to deal with drug trafficking in the North Eastern region.