NAIROBI, Kenya – Drug and alcohol abuse in Kenya’s Coast region is significantly higher than the national average, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has said, warning that the crisis is being fuelled by heroin, bhang, and rising alcohol addiction among young people.
Murkomen said counties such as Mombasa, Kwale, Kilifi and Lamu are grappling with a drug problem exacerbated by their proximity to international trafficking routes.
The National Campaign Against Drug Abuse Authority (NACADA) attributes the surge in substance use to the region’s role as a gateway for narcotics.
“Hard drugs like heroin and bhang are a serious concern, compounded by alcohol dependency among youth aged between 15 and 35,” Murkomen said.
School, Workplace, and Community Measures
The government is integrating alcohol and drug prevention into the Competency-Based Curriculum, training school heads to detect addiction, and developing national guidelines for managing substance abuse in schools.
Life skills lessons on drug prevention will begin from Grade 5.
Outside the classroom, sensitisation forums will target workplaces and the informal sector, including boda boda riders, matatu crews, and jua kali artisans.
At the family level, parents will receive age-specific guides to help address the issue at home, while a new rehabilitation framework will support treatment and prevention at the community level.
Raids, Crackdowns and Supply Disruption
On the enforcement front, multi-agency operations are targeting illicit brews, non-compliant alcohol outlets, and illegal drugs under the Rapid Results Initiative.
Region-specific crackdowns have also been carried out, including shisha raids in Nairobi and other major towns, and inspections of alcohol manufacturers for regulatory compliance.
Gaps in Rehab Facilities
Murkomen acknowledged that 95% of Kenya’s rehabilitation centres are privately run and often too expensive for most citizens.
The government has operationalised the Miritini Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre in Mombasa as a “centre of excellence” and is partnering with 12 counties, including Kisumu, Kwale, and Nyeri, to build more public facilities.
NACADA is also inspecting 300 rehabilitation centres nationwide, accrediting those that meet national standards, and pushing counties to create liquor laws that ringfence bar licensing revenue for prevention and treatment programmes.
Funding Challenges
Murkomen noted low compliance with volume-based licensing for alcohol manufacturers, with most declaring output below the taxable 500,000-litre threshold.
NACADA has enlisted the help of the Kenya Trade Network Agency (KENTRADE) to integrate alcohol import and export licensing into the national single-window system.
“The fight against substance abuse demands both prevention and enforcement. We are tackling it from schools to streets, and from homes to international supply chains,” Murkomen said.
