NACADA warns of rising cases of synthetic drug abuse among the youth in Kenya » Capital News
NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 13 – The National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse(NACADA) has raised alarm over the rising trend of in the use of synthetic drugs among the youth in the country.
Speaking Thursday during the launch of the Status of Drugs and Substance Use Among University Students in Kenya report, NACADA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Anthony Omerikwa stated that the substances are difficult to detect because their chemical precursors are often legal and easily accessible.
“This is like fighting an invisible enemy,” Omerikwa cautioned. “You don’t see it coming, but when you realize it’s around, it’s already too late.”
Further, Omerikwa pointed out that one of the most alarming revelations from the study was the “unintended” link between drug use and last year’s youth-led demonstrations.
According to Omerikwa, many young protesters were introduced to drugs during the protests, under false claims that substances like cannabis could reduce the effects of tear gas.
“Some of the young people who were in the protests became unexpected inductees into the space of drug use. They were deceived into believing that if they smoked bhang, the effects of tear gas would diminish to near zero,” he noted.
The report found that some individuals apprehended during the protests admitted to using drugs for the first time during the demonstrations.
Omerikwa also warned that drug dealers are taking advantage of every opportunity including protests to lure young people into addiction, creating a long-term demand for their illegal trade.
“Unscrupulous merchants of drugs look for every opportunity to entice and get our youth into addiction,” he cautioned.
Even more concerning, according to the NACADA CEO, about 70 per cent of those caught in possession of drugs or documented using substances were university students.
The survey, conducted in partnership with 17 universities, involved over 15,000 students across Kenya’s eight administrative regions.
Omerikwa stated that the findings provide a critical baseline for tracking drug use trends and evaluating the effectiveness of government interventions.
“This report will inform deliberate measures to either improve what we are already doing or inject new strategies to combat drug use,” Omerikwa explained.
Omerikwa described the findings as a wake-up call for the nation, emphasizing that drug abuse is no longer just a campus issue but a national crisis requiring urgent collective action.
“The findings of this report will make you sit up and take notice,” Omerikwa said. “It reveals a very serious and growing problem of alcohol and drug abuse among the youth, particularly in higher learning institutions.”
To address the crisis, NACADA has pledged to use the study’s findings to tailor drug prevention strategies, enhance awareness campaigns, and promote positive parenting.
The agency will also focus on strengthening multi-sectoral collaborations to curb the supply and demand of illicit substances.