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Youth drug abuse in Kenya
fauzia Nour view
Introduction:
Drug abuse is uncontrollable, continual use of substance other than its intended purpose. In Kenya drug abuse is rampant among the youths, it has been for decades now and there seems to be no solid outcome on how to curb the spread. In 2017 alone it was estimated 4.9 million people aged 15 to 65 years abuse drug on daily basis; 3 years later the numbers have soared. Drugs being abused include; alcohol,miraa,cocaine,mandrax,hroine,prescription drugs,bhang etc.
According to a survey conducted by the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (Nacada,2019);children as young as four years are involved in drug abuse. The survey shows and I quote; 16.9 per cent of primary school pupils are currently using at least one drug; Some 7.2 per cent of primary school pupils are currently using prescription drugs; 3.2 per cent of primary school pupils are currently using tobacco. Further, 2.6 per cent are currently using alcohol while 2.3 per cent are chewing miraa.
Drug abuse can have a long term health effects on the users, the risk increases when started at a tender age. It’s also known to contribute in the spread of sexual transmitted diseases, AIDS, liver sickness and more. Once the person is under the influence he/she cannot identify right from wrong thus leading to exposure. High numbers of HIV cases are attributed to people with drug abuse history.
The most commonly used drug in Kenya is tobacco as you can see on the table below, closely followed by prescription, alcohol then miraa. Prescription drugs are a real threat cause of the availability and most pharmacists break the law to increase their sells. The youth can acquire the drugs without a doctor’s prescription.
Figure 1.1 most common drug used and percentage of use in Kenya.
In this report, we are going to highlight youth drug abuse in three major counties in Kenya. Namely: Garissa,Nairobi and Mombasa county.
Youth drug abuse in Garissa County:
The most common drug in garissa is `miraa (also known as khat). Almost 50% of the population consumes it on daily basis. Male gender consumes miraa more than females. Miraa is hardly seen as a drug, it’s become a normalcy for male students still in high school to start using the drug. Some even start as early as ten years old, while in primary school.
According to a research done by Department of Educational Foundations & Policy Studies (DEFPS, 2019); found miraa as the leading drug. See below table for more.
The research further found 80% of teachers using miraa; this shows how easy it is to acquire the drug for everyone.
Youth drug abuse in Mombasa:
Mombasa is seen as drug paradise destination by tourists who flock to the area. The presence of tourist in Mombasa is very common. Youth who drop out of school turn to selling drugs as a means to score quick money. Young people become an addict as a result.
Lack of available, reliable data has made it difficult for authorities to access the toll drug abuse has on the society. A survey conducted by (NACADA, 2016) indicates 45.2% of the Coastal residents abused substances once in their life time; with Kilifi County leading in terms of ever use of at least one substance of abuse followed by Mombasa.
Factors causing drug youth abuse in Kenya:
As indicated in reports and survey its crystal clear Kenya has an ongoing problem to face head on. if left unchecked it could lead to social economical catastrophic; the country will lose its young generation. Youths with much to offer and potential.
Key Indicators that lead to youth drug abuse include:
· Peer pressure: almost half of youths fond of abusing drugs were highly influenced by their peers. In a bid to fit and belong and to look cool in front of their peers, unknown teens fall to the trap of drug abuse.
· Availability: due to improved roads, drug peddlers can quickly move their product to any place in the country. Right into the hands of school children, they are seen as easy targets, easily influenced, a ready market to venture in profit.
· High unemployment rate: this factor is a catalyst for a lot of wrong things in this country. When these children finish school they are faced with a harsh reality and low expectations; due to stress they turn to drugs for solace. With no open resources there to teach them the dangers of drug abuse; they tend to take a turn for the worse.
· Affordability: a major factor is price factor. Most of the substances abused by youth are priced down and easily available.
· Prescription drugs: highly addictive prescribed pills play a role mostly without the victim’s knowledge. It starts off with high dosage of pain killers and slowly the users turn heavy drugs to numb pain and feed their addiction.
Recommendations:
· Create open resource where pupils, parents and the community can learn about dangers of drug abuse. How to prevent it, how to deal with it without judgment as most users surfer in silence in fear of the backlash. How to detect if someone is using drugs, many cases go unnoticed. If the teachers or the parents can detect early the chances of intervention and curbing the behavior is automatically improved.
· Opening of rehabilitation centers: these centers are crucial in the fight against drug abuse; to rehabilitate the victims and to help them turn their life around, to be rehabilitated back into the society so that they feel useful and gain back their confidence.
· Vocational and technical training centers: a place where they could learn life skills, show their artisan side and be able to give back to the community, to participate in life.