Police chief resorts to tough-talking as Western Kenya overtakes Coast region in drug use

Security officials in Western Region have warned men engaging in drug abuse in the region that there is a lot of space in prisons for them. While speaking in Kakamega, Western Regional Prison Coordinator Martin Akwavi said the prison has enough space for offenders, especially men making illicit brews like chang'aa, busaa, and kangara, and those consuming the substances, including bhang'. Furthermore, he said that men who will be found and brought to jail will be given hard work so that they find their wives have been remarried or taken by men who are sober to satisfy and provide for them since they are unable to rise to the occasion due to drug abuse. "I want to give a warning to those married men manufacturing and drinking illicit alcohol that I have enough food and space in our prisons and we are ready to host you until your wives forget you and get someone serious, sober and active if you can't change," said Akwavi. "I will give you hard work like digging toilets and preparing firewood so that your hands are so hard and rough that they can't romance. So that by the time your jail term is over and you leave, you find that your wife has another child or someone has taken over since you are unable to provide and satisfy your wife by giving her conjugal rights due to excess intake of alcohol," he added. Failure to launch Western Regional Commissioner Isaack Nakoru lamented that the region has registered a high number of divorce cases in which men are unable to perform their conjugal duties due to alcohol. "We must end this menace of drug abuse in our region before it ruins our people. I have seen many cases of divorce where men are being blamed for not performing their roles like providing for their families and providing conjugal rights since they are always engaging in alcohol," said Nakoru. Their sentiments come after police in Western region launched a crackdown to identify farmers growing marijuana and arrest them. Regional Police Commander Kiprono Langat said they will not relent on the crackdown until they rid out people planting marijuana and selling to users, with youths being the most affected. "On this one we are going to be merciless until this region becomes a drug-free zone. Our people, especially men, must remain responsible by providing for their families and what is worrying is that the drug issue is now affecting our young generation which we must protect at all cost," said Langat. He added that they will inspect and traverse the counties of Vihiga, Kakamega, Busia and Bungoma in the farms and homes of people suspected to be growing bhang'. "We are going to have many arrests this January and we have been assured of enough space in the prisons so our work is to search and arrest the culprits because we have found the drug is being planted among other plants and some are doing it for domestic consumption even inside the house," said Langat. New drug haven This comes barely a month after the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (Nacada) released a report showing that Western had overtaken the Coast region in drug abuse. The survey was conducted between September 1 and December 1, 2022 and residents interviewed blamed the rise in drug abuse on porous border points of Busia and Bungoma counties. Nacada says that 23.8 per cent of the population in Western is hooked on drugs and illicit brews, stating that if quick measures are not taken the situation will deteriorate. At the Coast, the figure stands at 13.9 per cent of the population while Central Kenya is third with 11.4 per cent of its population abusing drugs and alcohol. Mr Langat said in the last one month they have managed to arrest 727 suspects for manufacturing and selling illicit brews, and engaging in criminal activities.

Police chief resorts to tough-talking as Western Kenya overtakes Coast region in drug use

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