By LINAH BENYAWA

Female drug addicts at the Coast have received a boost after a leader volunteered to construct a rehabilitation centre for them.

The chairperson of Maendeleo ya Wanawake Coast Branch, Sureiya Hersi, said female drug addicts had been overlooked, claiming there was no facility that caters for them in the region.

"It is unfortunate that Coast Province has no rehabilitation centre for women, this is because this issue had all along been over looked and yet women are also into drugs," she said.

She revealed that she had already secured a building and was just working on the legal issues before the facility commenced with provision of services.

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Administration Police officers in Kisauni, Mombasa, with narcotic drugs they nabbed from a suspect. A leader at the Coast has offered to rehabilitate female addicts. [PHOTO: FILE/STANDARD]

"This is my personal initiative. I am, however, working with Muslim Education and welfare Association to ensure female drug addicts have a facility that would help them," she said.

Hersi also noted that the facility would also provide training facilities for the girls.

She said that although the project was on the pipeline, they welcomed donors to help them make it sustainable as they are planning to provide free services.

"We want to work with the Government because it has the expertise. We are also looking for donors because we are planning to provide free services," she added.

Not easy task

The MYWO official added that fighting drugs was not an easy task and it needed support from various stakeholders.

The project, which is expected to be running by June, would cost about Sh40 million.

"Apart from rehabilitation, the centre would also have a vocational training facility to help the recovering addicts acquire skills that would help them after their stay there," she said.

There are two private drug rehabilitation centres at Mewa and Likoni outreach centre.

The two, however, cater for male addicts and there is no female rehabilitation centre in any part of the country.