The government, through the Ministry of Health, the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA), and National Government Administration Officers (NGAOs), will do more sensitisation forums across the country, aimed at reducing drug and substance abuse.
Head of Drugs and Substance Abuse Control at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Andrew Toro, said the government remains committed to having campaigns around the country while meeting stakeholders, the church, judiciary, NGAOs, police, sensitizing them on how to work together and employing a multi-agency approach in fighting the menace.
This will also include sensitisation of healthcare workers to enable them to identify patients experiencing the effects of drugs and substance abuse.
Speaking in ACK Church-Kutus, Kirinyaga County, during a sensitisation programme and medical camp organised for security officers, clergy and Community Health leaders, Dr. Toro noted that the prevalence of drug and substance use was increasing, hence the need to sensitise the public, the church congregants, and all the people at large on the harmful effects of drug and substance abuse.
“We have been meeting the public, having very interactive sessions, questions and answers. And so the government is committed to educating everybody in the country on the drug issue because we have noted it is increasing, especially amongst our youth. And unless we do something, we can easily lose the next generation,” he said.
Dr. Toro added the ministry is reviewing all the laws: the Alcohol Control Act, the Tobacco Control Act, and the Narcotic Act, looking for whether there are any gaps so that it can tighten to ensure that there is better enforcement.
He also said there is ongoing research by the ministry in conjunction with NACADA to establish the root causes of why people are consuming drugs, the effects of these drugs, why people are having suicidal tendencies and other related factors.
The medic urged the media to expose any source and form of drugs in circulation to help in campaigns, even as the innovation and dynamics keep changing.
“We are looking upon the media to be able to spread this word. We want to recruit you as agents against drug and substance abuse. The drug industry has become innovative. Some of them look like pens. Others look like lipstick. Some have been flavoured to attract the youth,” he said.
The medic further noted that every region will get a rehabilitation centre to help the addicts recover and return to normal life, without further struggle.
“Because of the high levels of recovering addicts in every region we have gone to, we are setting up treatment, cessation and rehabilitation centers. In Kirinyaga, we will soon be establishing a centre so that those who are recovering do not struggle. And so that we can give them comfort, we will give them medicines, we will equip the labs, and we’ll also come up with a very good referral mechanism,” he said.
The Vice Chairperson of the NACADA Board, Ann Mathu, said the church is a key player in the campaign because they are the best people to reach out to the congregants and the people within their respective areas because they congregate at least once a week, so they are able to pass the message very clearly.
“Today we were talking to the church leaders, the community health promoters, clergy, and security because we believe the campaign is a collective responsibility. Everybody has to come on board to fight alcohol and drug abuse. It’s all of us,” she said.
Mathu added that the inclusion of NGAOs in the sensitisation was crucial because alcohol and drug abuse goes together with crime.
However, she warned that this was a tough battle, as some other people will always fight back to secure their businesses.
Mathu also cited the contradictory role of the media that is supposed to educate people on the negative effects of alcohol and drugs, yet at the same time continues to offer advertisements on the same things that the government is campaigning against.
By Mutai Kipngetich
