Kajiado North leaders raise alarm over rising drug abuse among youth during holidays

Kajiado North leaders have raised concern over drug and substance abuse among young people during school holidays.

They called for stronger family involvement, community awareness and access to rehabilitation services to protect learners from addiction.

The leaders warned that young people face multiple risks, including peer pressure, unemployment, poverty and limited parental supervision.

They urged government agencies, schools, families and religious institutions to work together to address the problem.

Speaking during a stakeholders’ forum organised by the Voices for Change project and Unheard Voices Afrika, Kajiado North Deputy County Commissioner Yusuf Mohamed said conventional interventions had not delivered the desired results.

“We have been doing it over and over again, but the results are still the same. We challenged each other: can we start doing things differently?” he said.

Mohamed said a more comprehensive approach was needed, arguing that arrests alone could not eliminate drug abuse without addressing demand, prevention and the factors pushing young people towards substance use.

He said the county’s proximity to Nairobi, informal settlements in Rongai and Ngong, and a large student population contributed to its vulnerability.

“We have quite many university students. These are young, vibrant youth who have now gained freedom from their parents. They want to test and feel every new thing,” he said.

He urged parents to take a more active role in guiding their children, particularly during holidays, when learners may spend more time away from the supervision provided by schools.

Mohamed also called on faith leaders and community organisations to participate in prevention campaigns, warning that continued substance abuse could undermine the health and future of an entire generation.

“Health-wise, if we are not careful, we might lose a generation,” he said.

Jane Mwangi, coordinator at Soberlife under the Voices for Change project, said drug abuse could disrupt young people’s education, employment prospects and ability to participate meaningfully in society.

“Once the youth are hooked on drugs, you find they have very little time to engage in school or meaningful work,” she said.

Mwangi identified inadequate information, weak parenting, unemployment, poverty and peer pressure as some of the factors exposing young people to substance abuse.

She said prevention programmes should be strengthened in schools and communities, while economic empowerment initiatives could help young people access productive opportunities.

The Voices for Change initiative supports prevention, treatment, recovery and reintegration programmes in Kisumu, Mombasa, Nairobi and Kajiado counties, with partnerships extending to Tanzania, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Kajiado Youth Advisory Board representative Stephen Partore said young people should have a meaningful role in shaping interventions intended to protect them.

“Decisions are made, but as the youths, we are not consulted. We are only called when they need our enforcement,” he said. “There is nothing for us without us.”

Partore also called for closer monitoring of alcohol outlets near learning institutions, raising concerns about licensing and reports of some premises opening as early as 9am.

Meanwhile, NACADA Senior Compliance Officer for Kajiado County Nyambura Kigera said the authority was using public education, enforcement and licensing measures to tackle substance abuse.

She said the authority’s whole-school approach involved learners, teachers and parents, while prevention campaigns were also conducted in communities and workplaces.

“Teachers also spend so much time with our learners. If there are people who can pick up any changes in a learner, an educator is the first one,” Kigera said.

She identified alcohol as the most abused substance in Kajiado County, followed by tobacco, while cannabis use was more pronounced in urban centres and border towns such as Namanga.

Kigera expressed concern about teenagers aged between 13 and 15 using drugs in urban areas, warning that illicit and counterfeit alcohol also posed a challenge.

She said the cost of rehabilitation remained a major obstacle for many families because most facilities were privately owned.

Kigera encouraged people struggling with substance abuse, as well as their families, to seek assistance through NACADA’s toll-free helpline, 1192, which provides free counselling around the clock. The number also allows anonymous reporting of suspected illicit production and illegal sales of alcohol and other substances.