MPs take John Mututho to task over war on alcohol abuse
John Mututho (left), the chairman of the National Authority for the Campaign Against Drug Abuse (Nacada), said powerful networks were sabotaging the fight against toxic drinks that have claimed many lives. PHOTO | SALATON NJAU | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- The meeting followed the death of more than 100 people in different counties after drinking toxic alcoholic drinks in May.
- Mututho said some law enforcement officers hindered the war on alcohol abuse. He accused them of complicity with culprits.
Bosses of the anti-drugs agency were on Tuesday questioned by MPs on its rehabilitation plan following the recent deaths caused by alcohol abuse.
The lawmakers said the National Authority for the Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse’s impact was yet to be felt in the country.
In a meeting with Nacada chairman John Mututho and chief executive officer William Okedi, members of the National Assembly’s committee on administration and national security said the agency should invest more in rehabilitation and treatment of addicts.
The meeting followed the death of more than 100 people in different counties after drinking toxic alcoholic drinks in May.
Nearly 1,000 others were taken to hospital with serious ailments, including loss of sight.
Dr Okedi said Nacada did not run rehabilitation centres on its own but worked with other agencies, including the Ministry of Health.
Through the ministry, the agency has supported female and male rehabilitation wings at the Coast General Hospital and the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, he added.
“Nacada does not have the capacity to run rehabilitation and treatment centres. Doing so would even be a duplication of what the ministry is doing,” Mr Mututho said, adding that the budget to the agency limited its activities.
The chairman said some law enforcement officers hindered the war on alcohol abuse. He accused them of complicity with culprits.
Mr Mututho said a study conducted by the agency had revealed that officers collect Sh1.8 million daily in bribes from bar owners in Umoja/Innercore. The bribes ranged from as little as Sh200 to Sh5,000. There are close to 800 bars in the area.
Rongo MP Dalmas Otieno, a member of the committee, however, said Nacada must justify its existence through its impact on society. “This is the most pathetic agency. It just makes noise,” he said.
Nyandarua Woman Rep Wanjiku Muhia said rehabilitation must be one of Nacada’s core mandates.
In response, Mr Mututho said Parliament had a role to play in strengthening Nacada to make it the kind of agency envisaged in the fight against drug and alcohol abuse.
