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Alarm as Coast region records highest instances of drug abuse in Kenya

Wangari Gachoki, NACADA's North Eastern regional boss, said drugs and other substances were being combined with miraa (khat). (Photo: File/ Yasuyoshi Chiba/ AFP)

By Lucy Mumbi | 26 Feb 2024

The government has called for urgent interventions and policies to save the youth and protect Kenya's social and economic progress.

The Coast region has the highest recorded instances of drug abuse in the country, a government official has reported, noting the urgent need for interventions and policies to support a turnaround.

Mary Muthoni, the principal secretary in the State Department for Public Health and Professional Standards, spoke in the county on Monday during a meeting to end the abuse of alcohol, illicit brews, drugs and other substances.

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“According to the National Survey on Drugs and Substance Use in Kenya conducted in 2022, approximately 8.9 per cent of youth aged 15–24 years were using cannabis, and 3.2 per cent were using tobacco,” Muthoni said.

“Additionally, a Baseline Survey Report conducted in the Coast region in 2016 noted that 8.9 per cent of respondents aged 15–24 years had ever used khat (miraa). These statistics indicate that substance abuse remains a significant challenge in the Coast region, requiring targeted interventions and policies to mitigate its impact.”

Muthoni further noted that the region has the highest prevalence of current use of at least one substance of abuse.

“The Coast region also had the highest prevalence of past month poly-drug use (10.5 per cent) while the North Eastern region had the lowest prevalence (1.7 per cent). Cannabis prevalence is third highest in the Coast region, standing at 1.9 per cent, and highest in Nairobi, standing at 6.3 per cent,” she said.

She added that the most affected people are youths aged 25-35, a critical group for the country's social and economic progress.

“While they should be positioned to drive decisions and nation-building, they are engulfed in drugs, consequently exposing the economy of the coastal region to risks,” she said.

Despite a drop in alcohol use in Kenya, from 12.5 per cent in 2017 to 11.8 per cent in 2022, Muthoni noted that it remains the most used substance, closely followed by tobacco at 8.5 per cent and miraa at 6.8 per cent.

The PS noted, however, that the health sector remains committed to its mandate of formulating policies and pushing for the enactment of laws that will ensure young people are protected from the harmful substances.

“We remain committed to the multi-agency approach in this fight. The collaboration between relevant government ministries, agencies, civil society, and communities is crucial in the fight against substance abuse. Their collective efforts are key to eradicating this menace,” she said.

She added that the Ministry of Health will work together with the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA), county governments, the civil society, non-governmental and faith-based organisations, and other partners, to expand addiction treatment services.

They will prioritise community-based models anchored on outpatient services to address affordability and physical access challenges, the PS said.

Further, she noted that the Ministry will ensure packages for rehabilitation and treatment of alcohol, drugs and substance abuse are included and accessed without cost in the Social Health Authority and Universal Health Coverage plans.