KISUMU, Kenya, Oct 9 – The use of illicit drugs among the youth has been associated with the rising insecurity cases within the Nyanza region.
The Regional Commissioner Flora Mworia says the security team has mapped out hotspots for quick addresses.
Mworia says whereas parts of Nyanza region remain peaceful, urban areas pose insecurity challenges.
“Parts of the region are calm, the problem is in the urban centers, especially in Kisumu,” she said.
She announced that a number of arrests have been made in the urban centers, but they are mainly young people who appear intoxicated.
“There is a direct correlation between insecurity and the use of drugs,” she said.
The Commissioner spoke on Wednesday in Kisumu when she oversaw the destruction of narcotic drugs after the court gave a directive.
The burning of the narcotic drugs with a street value of Sh. 13 million was carried out at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) incinerator.
Mworia says the government will not relent in the fight against illicit drugs.
She called for a concerted effort for the eradication of drugs, which will eventually see crime rate dropping.
“The government will not win this war alone, we need everybody, from the civil society, the media, religious leaders to the public,” she said.
The destruction of the drugs was also witnessed by court officials from the environment court alongside the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA).
Nyanza Regional DCI George Lisaka says the exercise was conducted under the regulations of the subsidiary of the narcotic drugs.
Lisaka says the drugs were netted in Otonglo area in the outskirts of Kisumu City in February, 2024.
“The samples were forwarded to the government chemist and it was confirmed that it was narcotic drugs of cannabis sativa,” he said.
Lisaka says the destruction helps in preventing the drugs from finding their way into the streets besides easing congestion at the police exhibit stores.
He further noted that DCI will continue to remain alert to fight drug menace in the area, which he says continues to create family and social problems.
