NAIROBI, Kenya — Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has vowed to dismantle drug cartels Kenya-wide, escalating the campaign against illicit drugs and alcohol through asset seizure, account freezing, and dismissal of complicit officials.
Since President William Ruto declared alcohol and drug abuse a national security emergency, the government has pursued a relentless campaign to eradicate the menace.
Murkomen, on Wednesday, chaired a meeting of the multiagency command team combating illicit drugs and alcohol to review progress and devise escalation strategies.
“Our target is the manufacturers, sellers, and distributors of illicit drugs and alcohol, moving beyond prosecution to seizing assets and freezing accounts of those found culpable,” Murkomen stated.
The drug cartels’ Kenya crackdown marks a shift from criminal penalties to financial strangulation of networks.
Drug Cartels Kenya Official Complicity
Complicit officials will not be spared in the drug cartels’ purge in Kenya. Police, National Government Administrative Officers, and any civil servant who facilitates, protects, or colludes with drug networks will lose their jobs.
“We shall not relent until we have completely dismantled all drug and illicit alcohol cartels stealing the future of our children,” Murkomen said. Data shows reduced incidences in many parts of the country, but the campaign requires acceleration.
The meeting brought together Principal Secretary Dr. Raymond Omollo, National Intelligence Service Director General Noordin Haji, Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja, DCI Director Mohamed Amin, KRA Commissioner General Humphrey Wattanga, NACADA CEO Dr. Anthony Omerikwa, Kenya Bureau of Standards CEO Esther Ngari, Financial Reporting Centre Director General Naphtaly Rono, and Asset Recovery Agency Acting Director General Mark Ogonji.
