SHOCKING: Details of torture in Eastleigh rehabilitation centres emerge

An investigative feature by BBC Africa dubbed Rehab Nightmare: Drugs, Chains and Canes, was aired on Monday evening and viewers were shocked to learn of the torture that takes place in some rehab centres in Eastleigh, Nairobi.

The feature focused on Islamic rehab centres that offer help to drug addicts and mental patients but reporter Jamal Osman found out that some of the patients were thoroughly beaten as part of their rehabilitation process.

The graphic videos taken by an employee of Darushifa Centre, who volunteered to expose what the patients were going through, showed security guards at the institution whipping patients and forcing them to drink a solution called Harmala.

Apparently, the drink is supposed to ‘clean their systems’ but its effects are terrible.

Once the patients took Harmala, they would vomit almost immediately and investigations revealed that as much as harmala can be used as herbal medicine, large quantities might have adverse effects.

A patient only referred to as Ali divulged that he had been taken to the institution by his mother due to drug addiction but maintained he had never involved himself in substance abuse.

“I do not use drugs. I do not know why I am here. My only problem is that I refused to go to school,” he stated.

Several women were also filmed at the institution and they claimed that they were locked for leaving their husbands and walking from abusive relationships.

Much to the surprise of many, police were also seen dropping off some men in handcuffs at the correctional facility.

It also emerged that some of the patients had to part with roughly Sh60,000 per month to be rehabilitated.

The owner of Darushifa, however, strongly condemned the accusations saying all his clients were taken to the centre by family and denied any use of herbal medicine.

Apart from drinking harmala, the patients also recite the Koran frequently and in some cases, high ranking officials read out instructions from the Islamic holy book through a pipe that is firmly placed on the ears of the patients.