Nacada's Sh41b plan for addicts

Inspector General of Police Hillary Mutyambai in Kisumu on July 8, 2019. [Denish Ochieng/ Standard]

The National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (Nacada) plans to spend Sh9 billion in setting up rehabilitation centres across the country to address drug abuse.

This is part of the Sh41.3 billion it plans to spend in the next five years on its programmes.

It says it wants to ensure quality treatment, rehabilitation and reintegration for persons with substance use disorders.

This will be done through, among others, increased uptake of counseling and referral services and compliance with treatment and rehabilitation.

Speaking during the launch of Nacada's strategic plan 2019-2022 in Nairobi, police boss Hilary Mutyambai noted that drug barons were importing the narcotics for local market.

He said those behind the supply were rich and powerful and urged for concerted effort to address the menace. “Kenya is no longer the hub of trafficking and transit. It is now becoming the hub of consumption of drugs. The drug is no longer moving, it is being consumed in this country,” he said.

The agency outlined six strategic focus areas it intends to work on in the five years, which include public education and advocacy, counseling and reintegration.

Others are compliance, quality control and standards, research, policy and planning, institutional strengthening and leadership and integrity.

The agency will commit time and resources to counseling, rehabilitation and reintegration of those affected by the drugs and Sh12 billion on public education and advocacy.

It plans to spend Sh400 million in research and planning, Sh1.1 billion in institutional strengthening and Sh30 million in leadership and integrity.

Interior CS Fred Matiang’i said the rehabilitation capacity in the Coast was being enhanced to address the issue.

“We will sink as a society if we can’t deal with the mess now. We must join hands as stakeholders to address it,” he said.

The CS said the Government had assembled a multi-agency team to spearhead an operation to stamp out drug trafficking criminals.