NAIROBI, Kenya Jan 16 – The government has set a deadline to end drug trafficking and abuse in Kenya this year, raising the stakes on a long-running problem that has defeated past crackdowns.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the directive came directly from President William Ruto, warning that the fight against drugs will now focus not only on arrests but also on dismantling the networks and wealth behind the trade.
Speaking in Mombasa after a high-level security and service delivery meeting with leaders from the six Coastal counties, Murkomen said the State has intensified operations against traffickers dealing in heroin, cocaine and synthetic drugs.
“This is the year we must eliminate the problem of drugs in the country,” Murkomen said, noting that recent seizures show progress but also underline the scale of the challenge.
He cited a major interception of synthetic drugs worth about Sh8 billion in the high seas, alongside sustained seizures of cannabis entering the country through porous borders, including along the northern corridor.
Murkomen said the government’s strategy now goes beyond arrests.
– Traffickers’ properties to be seized under new strategy –
Authorities will move to seize properties owned by drug traffickers, sell them, and use the proceeds to build rehabilitation centres.
“We are not just going for the drugs or the traffickers. We are going for their properties,” he said.
Under the plan, county governments have been asked to provide land for rehabilitation centres.
Murkomen confirmed that Mombasa and other Coastal counties have already started identifying land to support the programme.
The Interior CS said the aim is to ensure that people rescued from drug addiction are taken through rehabilitation and supported to return to normal life.
He linked the drug problem to juvenile gangs and insecurity in parts of the Coast, noting that many young people are drawn into crime through drug and alcohol abuse.
Murkomen said security agencies have made progress in curbing gang activity, including the so-called “panga boys,” but warned that the problem has not been eliminated.
To prevent relapse, leaders proposed engaging affected youth through public works programmes similar to Kazi Mtaani and supporting them to enroll in technical colleges.
“We must reform them, engage them and help them choose a different life,” he said.
