Drug abuse still on the rise in Mombasa and Kwale

Residents in Eldoret town on May 15, 2016 sensitise other residents about drugs. Drug abuse is still high at the Coast. PHOTO | JARED NYATAYA | NATION MEDIA GROUP

By  Fadhili Fredrick  &  Mohamed Ahmed

What you need to know:

  • The behaviour has opened the doors for other diseases such as HIV\Aids.
  • Mr Mwanduni told the Nation recently that they aim to disengage the youth from using narcotics.

Drug abuse in Mombasa and Kwale counties is on the increase despite efforts by the government and other players to contain it.

In Mombasa, there is an outcry from Freetown residents after drug addicts going through the methadone assisted therapy (MAT) programme at Kisauni Health Centre turned it into a den for selling hard drugs.

STILL ABUSING DRUGS
In a spot check, the Nation saw the addicts grouping in the CDF Hall in Freetown, where they inject themselves immediately after receiving the medication.

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“They have also turned the place into a brothel because some of them are openly seen having sex after taking the hard drugs,” a resident who only identified himself as Fred said.

“This is very sad because the programme that has been put up for them seems to be useless.”
NUISANCE TO RESIDENTS
He said the drug addicts also crowd the narrow alleys near the centre for the business.

“This has become a daily activity here. They do not care at all. After taking their drugs, they cause mayhem, making it difficult for residents to use the roads they have occupied,” Fred added.

An estimated 18,000 people inject heroin in Kenya, with the coastal region said to be the epicenter of the problem, with some 10,000 people who inject drugs.

The behaviour has opened the doors for other diseases such as HIV\Aids, hepatitis B and other blood-borne virus transmissions.

INTERVENTIONS

In Kwale, drug addiction among the youth has been growing.

But an initiative by the victims in Ng’ombeni could be transformative and a solution to the menace.

“Mateja”, as the drug users are called, are now venturing into projects aimed at improving their lives.

Sumsum Youth Group chairman Mohamed Abdallah Mwanduni, one of the addicts, told the Nation recently that they aim to disengage the youth from using narcotics.

The national government is also facilitating the anti-drug war.

In March, suspected traffickers were arrested and millions worth of product seized by anti-narcotic unit officers at the Coast.

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