Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has pledged that the government will win the war on drugs and drug abuse, warning of tough actions against drug peddlers in the northeastern region.
The last week has seen the National Government Administrative Officers (NGAO) in partnership with the National Police Service (NPS), the County government, the National Authority for Campaign Against Drug Abuse (NACADA) and the Kenya Revenue Authority mount a serious crackdown against those involved in the vice.
In Garissa, a total of ten people have been arrested as the crackdown intensifies.
Several pharmacy outlets have since been shut down with suspects arrested for selling psychotropic drugs commonly used by Miraa consumers.
Speaking on the outskirts of Garissa town at Madara Hafsa Bint Sirin during a graduation ceremony, Duale said that anyone found to be involved directly or indirectly in the illegal business will face the full force of the law.
“The CS for interior Professor Kithure Kindiki has spoken to the nation on behalf of the cabinet. As one of the manifestos of the Kenya Kwanza government we cannot build a country where generations after generations are being destroyed by drugs,” Duale said.
Duale regretted that drug use in the area is on the rise and it was a big contributor to some of the ills bedeviling society.
Bhang, cocaine and miraa are among the most abused drugs making the county fall on NACADA’s list of counties affected by drug abuse menace.
Diazepam is commonly used to treat anxiety disorders and alcohol detoxification, acute recurrent seizures, severe muscle spasms, and spasticity associated with neurologic disorders, according to the National Institute of Health.
Miraa consumers have habitually been abusing drugs that are also injectable and are used to treat certain seizure disorders and help relax muscles.
Garissa County Commissioner Mohamed Mwabudzo said that the government will not relent in its war against drugs and substance abuse expressing his concern that if the situation is not corrected early enough then a generation will be wasted.
He attributed the high cases of divorce to abuse of drugs and substances, calling on clerics to join in the war to eradicate the vice by using their platforms in mosques and churches.
He further said that the time has come for the County Assembly to ban muguka noting that most chewers are the ones who were abusing drugs like cocaine.
On Saturday the Directorate of Criminal Investigations boss Mohamed Amin said the government will soon open an anti-narcotics office in Garissa to deal with drug trafficking in the North Eastern.
Speaking in Saka, Balambala sub-county, the DCI boss said that drugs coming from neighbouring Ethiopia were becoming a major concern to the country’s security agencies.
The DCI boss said the office which will be established in a month will be headed by gazetted and trained officers in dealing with drugs and substance abuse.
“We are trying to spread our wings across the country but specifically targeting counties where cases of drugs and substance are on the rise like is happening in the northeastern,” Amin said.
“This office will go a long way in curbing drug trafficking in the region since we will have officers who will act on intelligence to deal with drug traffickers entering the country through Mandera, Wajir and Garissa counties,” he added.