A report by the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) has revealed alarming statistics on the use of drugs among university students.
In the survey conducted among 15,678 students and released on Thursday, February 13, it was revealed that 1 in 9 students use marijuana.
Notably, the use of marijuana was common for both genders - 1 in 9 for males and 1 in 10 for females.
Cocaine use was also common with 1 in 63 students reporting usage. Meanwhile, 1 in 59 students reported to have used heroin.
However, alcohol was the most used drug. As highlighted in the report, 1 in 2 university students have ever used alcohol.
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The Status of Drugs and Substance Use in Kenya Universities: Current Use pic.twitter.com/xKHzIARzN9
— NACADA Kenya (@NACADAKenya) February 13, 2025
Availability
Alcohol was the most available drug at 87.3 per cent followed by Cigarettes (64.4 per cent) and Shisha at 41.2 per cent.
"The study showed that alcohol was the most (87.3%) available substance followed by cigarettes (64.4%), shisha (41.2%), vape/e-cigarettes (31.0%), nicotine pouches (30.7%), kuber (23.0%) and snuff/chewed tobacco (22.1%)," read the report in part.
Source of Drugs
Most university students get their drugs from close friends and neighbourhood canteens and bars.
Lecturers and university staff were also revealed as major sources of drugs for students.
Following the alarming statistics, Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen noted that the government would be taking various measures to deal with the menace.
'Today, I launched the ‘2024 Report on the Status of Drugs and Substance Use Among University Students in Kenya’ which reveals an alarming trend that needs to be tamed. The crisis needs an urgent national conversation about finding an all-of-society approach to combat it," he stated.
"As a Government, we are enhancing the Antinarcotics Drug Unit in order to rein in the drug peddlers who are killing our children’s future. We are also exploring other measures including boosting the capacity of police stations near universities to bolster their intelligence gathering and collaboration with other agencies in helping tackle the menace."
The Status of Drugs and Substance Use in Kenya Universities: Sources of Drugs and Substances pic.twitter.com/ek9W19YSpA
— NACADA Kenya (@NACADAKenya) February 13, 2025
