This is how not to win war on alcoholism

The fight against alcoholism is taking an unfortunate turn. Politicians and security officers are leading rowdy crowds to vandalise legitimate businesses and illegal drinking dens. This is dangerous to public order, private investment, and the fight against alcoholism.

Kenya is governed by a Constitution that must be upheld. The Constitution guarantees certain rights, including the right to own and operate private legitimate business. It is unfortunate that the rights of legitimate business persons are being trampled on by State organs.

In a country that has been struggling with security and the problem of mob justice, the police are not wise to allow the masses to attack and destroy business places, whether legal or not.

The public’s contribution to this fight could be harnessed in better ways.

The fight against alcoholism cannot be simplified. It will not be won by shutting down bars. Even the famous Mututho laws have not helped much.

Drug abuse is a complex problem that requires a multi-pronged approach. It afflicts not just central Kenya but other parts of this country. The coast is grappling with the problem of widespread hard drug addiction.

CAN BE MANAGED

It is important that the interplay of causative factors is properly understood to enable the country to strategise well on how to manage the problem. It is important from the outset that we all understand that this is a problem that cannot be entirely eliminated, but it can be managed successfully so that it ceases to be a social pandemic.

Drug abuse could be a result of unemployment, boredom, stress, negative peer influence, misleading mass media messages, and many other factors. It could be because of genetic predisposition. Research suggests that some people are more likely than others to become alcoholics merely because of their genes.

The increase in the number of drug addicts in our society indicates that there are forces at the social level that have made more Kenyans in certain regions to become hooked. It is unlikely that the population ratio of those born with the “alcoholic” gene has increased. Then again, proper social research could be helpful in clarifying this.

It is important to look at the problem holistically. Once we have closed all the bars, what activities are available for their patrons to engage in? They need jobs to keep them busy. They need land to farm and grow their food. They need social centres where they can play chess and channel excess energy in activities such as taekwondo. They need to have back all those football fields that have been grabbed.

For Kenya to get the right approach to the problem of alcohol abuse, the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (Nacada) must be turned into an outfit of experts. It should be a scientific organisation of social, security, and medical personnel who have relevant expertise to develop proper strategies to be executed by an inter-agency team.

Nacada cannot succeed without internal expertise, adequate research funds, support from the police, the Judiciary, the public prosecutor, and the anti-corruption agency.

In the meantime, let us stop these criminal acts of destroying private property lest we win the battle and lose the war.

Mr Chando is an auditor at the Nation Media Group. [email protected]