The government has announced plans to establish treatment and rehabilitation centres across 47 counties
Speaking in Mombasa, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki said the facilities would be funded by the national government in partnership with county governments.
"The war on illicit alcohol, narcotic drugs, and psychotropic substances entails the complete suppression of both the supply and demand. To suppress demand, treatment, rehabilitation, and reintegration of addicts remains a key objective of the government," he said.
The CS made the remarks after inspecting the Miritini Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre to assess the immediate and short-term needs to expedite its completion.
The Nacada chairman Stephen Mairori, the CEO Anthony Omerikwa and the staff, as well as the Mombasa County Security and Intelligence Heads, were present.
Kindiki explained that the war on illicit alcohol, narcotic drugs, and psychotropic substances entails the complete suppression of both the supply and demand.
He insisted that suppressing demand, treatment, rehabilitation, and reintegration of addicts remains a key objective of the government.
While inspecting Miritini Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre, the CS picked the immediate and short-term needs to expedite its completion.
Once complete, it will have treatment, rehabilitation and re-integration programs including training the recovered patients with technical skills like masonry, tailoring and engineering crafts and providing start-up capital for small businesses in line with their skills.
The Interior boss stated that the facility will be a Centre of Excellence for benchmarking among the county governments and African Countries.
The Centre is already operational and is treating 50 inpatients and 300 outpatients free of charge, but when complete, the capacity will rise five-fold.
Last year in February, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua said the government is considering building rehabilitation centres in all counties to deal with drug and alcohol abuse.
The DP indicated that the initiative will aid in tackling the vice.
“To address the menace of illicit brew and substance abuse in our nation, we must all pull together in one direction to save our generation from perishing,” he stated.
Gachagua pointed out that a multi-sectoral approach to this end brings an impetus to achieving positive results.
