According to Marwa, the government has made huge strides in the war against drugs and substance abuse in the region, a battle which he said will not be lost/FILE
MOMBASA, Kenya, Mar 3 – The government is going to completely disrupt the demand and supply of hard drugs at the Coast, Regional Coordinator Nelson Marwa has said.
Speaking while inspecting the ongoing development of a rehabilitation center at Miritini in Mombasa county on Friday, Marwa said all drug addicts will be enrolled in rehabilitation centers across the region in a bid to cut down the demand for narcotics even as security agencies intensify the crackdown on those facilitating the trade.
“What the government is doing is to ensure that all those youths who are buying and using drugs have been picked up and brought to rehabilitation centers,” Marwa told journalists.
“We will be disrupting the demand and supply of drugs and so people who are selling drugs will have to start looking for a new market to sell their products,” he added.
According to Marwa, the government has made huge strides in the war against drugs and substance abuse in the region, a battle which he said will not be lost.
He said youths admitted at the centre will undergo a series of training programmes to prepare them to became responsible citizens once they exit the rehabilitation facility.
“There’re going to be robust activities aimed at reorienting those that have been affected by drugs to became better citizens and then be productive to the economy,” Marwa intimated.
The rehab will also feature health and gaming facilities that will provide physical therapy needed by recovering drug addicts according to Marwa.
“There’s going to be a health facility and classrooms so that they (addicts) don’t just get injections during their stay here, they will undergo an intensive programme to transform their mindset,” he said.
The rehab center will also have a piece of land where those undergoing rehabilitation programmes will participate in small-scale farming.
Upon completion of the programme, reformed addicts will be given opportunities to join the National Youth Service (NYS), the National Police Service (NPS) as well as military and paramilitary forces.
Mombasa County is one of the hardest hit by the drugs menace, owing to its close proximity to the sea port which has been used by drug barons to sneak in narcotics in the past.
Security at the port has however recently undergone a complete overhaul resulting into the netting of a number of drug consignments and suspected drug dealers.
Marwa, challenged non-government actors to support the State in its efforts to combat the trade in narcotics.
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