Four organizations at the Coast have struck a partnership deal that will see them work together to rehabilitate thousands of drug addicts in the region. The four, including Reach Out Centre, Muslims for Human Rights, Mewa Hospital and the Shariff Nassir Foundation have set aside an initial budget of Sh8 million for the programme. The budget may however increase according to the success and needs of the rehabilitation programme. There are about 60,000 addicts of various drugs at the Coast with between 300-500 new addicts annually. [continues 278 words]
Involvement of security officers and politically connected individuals in trafficking is defeating the war against illicit drugs. One of the notorious latter day drug traffickers who enjoyed protection from some police officers is a Camerounian only known as "Mr President". To this day, the whereabouts of "Mr President" remain unknown. According to some sources, "Mr President" had moved to Dubai, but came back to Kenya confident that he was safe because of his connections to powerful politicians. Police had established that the group recruited young and naive girls to ferry drugs from Asia to Kenya and then onwards to Europe and the US. [continues 573 words]
Nairobi The Government was yesterday criticised for doing little to tackle drug abuse. Instead, the Ministry of Health was frustrating efforts to check the vice, which is taking its toll, especially among young Kenyans, an official of the National Campaign Against Drug Abuse (Nacada) said. Acting director Roseline Onyuka lamented that, despite a 1994 law mandating the ministry to establish rehabilitation centres for drug addicts, none had been built. As a result, it had become almost impossible to rehabilitate those who wanted to give up the indulgence, she said. [continues 258 words]
Nairobi -- The rising tide of drug abuse in schools can only be stopped by the joint efforts of teachers and parents. Parents should communicate regularly with schools regarding their children's performance, the acting coordinator of the National Agency for the Campaign Against Drug Abuse (Nacada), Mrs Roseline Onyuka, told principals attending a heads' conference in Nairobi yesterday. "The family is the most important force for any successful initiative in preventing drug abuse. Parents should discuss with their children rather than leave them to gather information from peers and the media," she said. [continues 225 words]
NAIROBI (AANA) January 11 - Kenya's drug problem has been compared to that of Columbia as large forest lands are cleared and planted with bhang (canabis sativa) while the plantations are protected by guards armed with bows and arrows. Vast areas of Mount Kenya Forest and other parts of the country have been cleared and planted with bhang bushes while government officers are restricted from approaching the plantations, says Kenya's former vice president for a decade, Mwai Kibaki, who is now leader of official opposition leader in Parliament and heads the Democratic Party of Kenya. [continues 1061 words]
