Editor's Review

"Our message is clear: we will continue to strengthen intelligence gathering, enhance inter-agency cooperation, and pursue traffickers relentlessly wherever they operate."

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen on Friday, June 26, announced that the government will use intelligence gathering in the fight against drug abuse.

Speaking during an event commemorating the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking (IDADA), Muromen revealed that intelligence would be used to clamp down on drug cartels.

He reiterated the state's commitment to the fight against drugs and drug abuse, which President William Ruto declared a national emergency.

"Our message is clear, we will continue to strengthen intelligence gathering, enhance inter-agency cooperation, and pursue traffickers relentlessly wherever they operate," Murkomen declared.

The Interior Boss, the intervention on drug abuse also includes the rehabilitation of youths affected by the menace.

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A file photo of Interior PS Raymond Omollo.

"Every life saved from addiction strengthens our nation. Together, we can build a Kenya where our young people are healthy, productive, and empowered to contribute to national development, " Murkomen concluded. 

On his part, Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo confirmed that the government would take a balanced approach in combating the drug menace that combined enforcement, treatment, and prevention.

"While enforcement remains critical, it is only one part of the solution. Sustainable success can only be achieved through a balanced and comprehensive approach that prioritises prevention, early intervention, treatment, rehabilitation, and social reintegration," Omollo reiterated.

On his part, NACADA Board Chairman Bishop Dr Stephen Mairori highlighted the Authority's pioneering use of wastewater analysis to track drug consumption patterns in near real-time.

Mairori stated that the responses to the drug abuse problem must be adaptive. He added that the fight required collaboration from parents and the community.

According to the latest NACADA National Survey, 4.7 million Kenyans aged between 15 and 65 years, one in every six people, are currently using at least one drug or substance of abuse.

NACADA revealed that the Coast Region remains the epicentre of this crisis, with 29.3 percent of residents using at least one substance, while Mombasa County bears the heaviest burden, with a prevalence of 34.4 percent.