Drug dealing ensnares hundreds of youths on allure of easy riches

Margaret Alela displays pictures of her two sons, Wycliffe Omuchani and Reuben Ominde, who were victims of the drugs trade. She said Reuben died after abusing alcohol and bhang, and believes Wycliffe died when a drug deal went sour. [Duncan Ocholla, Standard]

 

It’s around 7.30pm on a Thursday at Luanda Omena market, situated next to Mumboha Secondary School in Vihiga County.

 

Thursday is usually market day and as dusk falls, traders hurry to close up after a long day’s work.

It is hard to miss the conspicuous groups of five to 10 youths huddled together. But these are not your usual vibrant youths engaged in banter about the latest hit songs, football, fashion or relationships.

They appear listless, with bloodshot eyes and dry and cracked lips. Some are openly smoking bhang, while others appear irritated by invisible forces and angrily tear at their clothes. Two youths seated 50 metres away are injecting themselves in the arms.

These have become familiar scenes in Luanda town, situated along the Kisumu-Busia highway, and residents are worried.

Common scenes

What were once scenes thought common only in coastal counties, where drug addiction has long wreaked havoc on the populace, have now crept into quiet rural towns.

According to the 2009 national census, Vihiga had a population of about 560,000. It borders Nandi and Kisumu counties and has five constituencies.

A white Probox vehicle slowly snakes its way to the huddled youths. The car has a stash of rolls of bhang and liquor packed in sachets. Once the youths buy and consume the products, their mood changes and they appear frenzied.

They quickly leave in pairs on motorbikes, carrying rucksacks stuffed with alcohol sachets and rolls of bhang.

In the two weeks The Standard team pitched tent in Luanda town, business was brisk and a lot of money changed hands. Those hawking the illicit products are largely youths aged between 14-25 years.

Once initiated into the business, they remain at the mercy of their masters, sometimes with dire consequences.

From clubs, backstreets, car parks, school playgrounds and other social places, one needs as little as Sh30 to get high on bhang, cocaine and liquor.

The dangers are real but the police, who are supposed to help stamp out the menace of drugs and substance abuse, are being accused of doing little to solve the problem.

Chew miraa

At the Busia-Siaya junction where several wines and spirits shops stand, groups of peddlers chew miraa as they wait for customers to buy the drugs.

To hide our identities, we parked our car near Luanda Police Station and walked to where they were gathered.

We got samples of the illicit alcohol they were consuming, some with an alcohol content of 45.8 per cent and selling at Sh25.

The 100ml alcohol packed in sachets is imported from Uganda and is believed to be manufactured in Kawembe on the outskirts of Kampala town.

We also bought some alcohol from shops allegedly owned by drug barons, whom residents refer to as G-6 since they are untouchable.

Our investigations revealed that the alcohol is mostly sold in Luanda town, Muluhoro, Ebusakami, Maseno, Emabungo, Ekwanda, Ebubayi, Kima, Esianduma and Yala. Other areas are Ebuyangu, Majengo, Mbale, Kisiani, Musilongo, Chavakali, Esibuye, Sabatia and Ebutongoi Essaba.

A former National Intelligence Service officer who was stationed in Luanda sub-county for five years confirmed the drug trade was thriving.

He claimed some police officers knew the drug dealers well and protected them to the extent of escorting them while transporting the contraband goods.

“The drug barons own retail shops within Luanda town and are well-known to the police and locals. They have become overnight millionaires and own sleek cars from proceeds they get after smuggling drugs,” he said.

In an interview with The Standard, Newton Kwame, chairman of Luanda Township Community Policing, said Probox vehicles and motorcycles were the preferred mode of transport to move the drugs.

He said the drug dealers got them from Uganda via Sofia and Mayenje border points – porous entry points along the Kenya-Uganda border in Busia.

“They also use public transport when sneaking the contraband goods into the country in fish baskets, omena sacks and mitumba clothes. Some come hidden in cereals at night.

“We have many ‘mad’ people in Luanda town who are drug smugglers. They have disguised themselves as mentally challenged individuals to escape the law,” said Mr Kwame.

He said youths high on drugs often engaged in crime. The drug barons, he claimed, also recruited college students.

University premises

“Some of the students who live outside the university premises in Emabungo, Ebusakami, Luanda town, Ebusiralo and Mwiyekhe are being used by the drug barons to distribute their products and even sell them to their fellow students.”

Kwame said the students were also becoming addicts.

Maurice (not his real name), is a third-year IT student who said he was approached by his friend to venture into the business to make some extra cash.

The student said he had been peddling for more than 18 months and only stopped two months ago after he became addicted.

“My performance dropped and my health also deteriorated. I was saved by my landlord who took me to a rehabilitation centre,” he said.

Maseno University Director of Public Relations Owen McOnyango, told The Standard that the university rules and regulations did not allow students to engage in such business.

Dr McOnyango said in case a student was found using drugs, he or she would face disciplinary action and then undergo counseling.

“Let the police do their work and arrest those involved in the distribution of the illicit liquor. When arrests are made and we find out some of them are students, we will get their admission numbers to ascertain the courses they do and let them face the consequences,” he said.

A police officer from Luanda Police Station who sought anonymity claimed some of their seniors were also involved in the syndicate.

However, after investigations, The Standard team established that the informant used to be assigned by his bosses to escort the drug dealers but after a falling out, he was transferred to another department.

“In February, we arrested the house girl of one of the suspects with 163 cartons of alcohol and 20 jerrycans of chang’aa. The house girl was taken to Luanda Police Station but the alcohol was kept in the office of a top official in Emuhaya,” said the police officer.

When reached for comment, Emuhaya Deputy County Commissioner Caroline Onchoko said she was in church and would comment on the matter after consulting with her security team.

“Early this month, we also arrested a woman of Ugandan origin at the Busia-Siaya junction roadblock in Luanda town after getting a tip from the public. She was ferrying bhang and alcohol in three big fish baskets,” the informant said.

Luanda OCPD Benson Kilonzi declined to comment on the matter.

Western Regional Commissioner Anne Ng’etich said they would crackdown on the cartels, adding that they were committed to ending the vice.

“As the regional security team, we will zero in on the criminals and bring them to book. If any Government official is also involved in the syndicate, we will not spare him,” said Ms Ng’etich.