Murkomen warns against politicization of drug abuse, tells off Gachagua for trying to localize the menace » Capital News
NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 13 – Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has dismissed allegations by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua that the government is deliberately targeting the Mt. Kenya region with drugs by relaxing measures to curb their proliferation.
Speaking during the launch of the Status of Drugs and Substance Use Among University Students in Kenya report, Murkomen stressed that drug and alcohol abuse is a national crisis that transcends political and ethnic lines.
He warned against politicizing the issue, saying it is the biggest threat to Kenya’s well-being.
“This is a very serious issue. It’s a very serious national issue. It’s the greatest threat to the well-being of our country. It is a national security issue,” he stated.
Murkomen argued that drug and alcohol addiction affects every part of Kenya, not just Mt. Kenya, and should not be reduced to a political fight.
“Every time I converse with political leaders—whether at the highest level or with MCAs—everyone speaks about the struggles of a brother, a sister, a neighbor, a parent, or a close family member battling addiction,” he said.
He took a swipe at Gachagua, accusing him of attempting to localize the issue for political gain.
“Another villager the other day was making this conversation about only his village, forgetting to appreciate that it’s about the country. We cannot make this conversation about your tribe, your village, or your community,” Murkomen remarked in reference to Gachagua.
The Interior CS emphasized that the fight against drugs and substance abuse should be treated as a national duty, urging leaders to avoid “cheap” political narratives that derail government efforts.
“The government of Kenya does not target to allow alcohol to certain villages. People who have failed in the past to make money, because they have now lost opportunities, are cheapening this conversation with their pretentious efforts to fight alcohol,”he asserted.
“This is a very serious issue.”
Murkomen further noted that the country has lost more lives to drug and substance abuse than terrorism, underlining the urgency of a united national approach to the problem.
On October 22, Gachagua alleged that the government was deliberately distributing illicit alcohol in the Mt. Kenya region to suppress the number of votes from the area.
He accused Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo of reopening factories producing substandard alcohol under directives from the President, claiming the alcohol is exclusively sold in Mt. Kenya.
“The Interior Security PS was instructed by the President to reopen all those alcohol factories, and they were urged to sell the alcohol exclusively in Mount Kenya. It is not sold in Rift Valley or anywhere else,” Gachagua claimed.