How the Battle On Drug Abuse May Be Won Nairobi -- Job creation is one way of reducing drug abuse, the draft report recommends. Revamping agriculture is also proposed as a way of reducing poverty among the youth. The report recommends that the Government should tackle the maize borer weevil to reduce crop destruction. Further, the study calls for action on video showrooms where films marked adults only are screened. Drugs are also sold in the video rooms, the majority of which target the youth. The National Agency for the Campaign Against Drug Abuse is urged to formulate policies for teachers and school heads to gain knowledge on how to deal with drug abuse in schools. Interesting findings were reported by the study regarding the behaviour of drug abusers. [continues 398 words]
Nairobi The Ministry of Education plans to incorporate drug and illicit liquor abuse education into the curriculum. The Ministry is currently carrying out an evaluation exercise in primary and secondary schools so as to approve books that incorporate topics that deal with drug abuse. Education Minister, Prof George Saitoti, said at the weekend the Ministry is working in liaison with other stakeholders to strengthen guidance and counselling programmes, drug clubs in schools. Saitoti said the Government move has been necessitated by studies which reveal that 92 per cent of youth in school have experimented with alcohol or drugs at least once. [continues 197 words]
Nairobi The Government has criminalised the supply of harmful substances to minors and glue sniffing by children. According to the Criminal Law (amendment) Act 2003, No 46, any person found distributing substances declared by the Minister for Health as harmful to children will be liable to imprisonment for a period of three years. The National Co-ordinator of the National Agency for the Campaign Against Drug Abuse (Nacada), Mr Joseph Kaguthi said the coming into force of the new law renders the authority of the Chiefs Authority Act in controlling harmful substances supply and use, obsolete. [continues 94 words]
A High powered delegation from the Ministry of Transport and Communication is on a fact finding mission at the Eldoret International Airport to investigate alleged drug trafficking and corruption scandals. Following the scandal, the Government last month indefinitely banned cargo flights landing at the Eldoret Airport and instead diverted them to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi. The team, led by Deputy Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr Charles Kimemia, will investigate among other things the activities at the airport and how to stream-line its operations. [end]
Nairobi Transport Minister John Michuki yesterday came under criticism from traders in Uasin Gishu District over his claims that corruption led to the cancellation of cargo flights at the Eldoret International Airport. Area mayor, Mr Jonah Maiyo, said the Government had enough security machinery to contain corruption at the facility. He challenged the minister to come out clean on the reason behind the diversion of cargo flights from the facility to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), in Nairobi. "The Government should have gone after individuals involved in corrupt practices at the airport instead of working to cripple it by diverting all cargo flights to JKIA," said Maiyo. [continues 145 words]
The Teachers' Service Commission has pledged to help in the fight against drug abuse in schools. The secretary, Mr James Ongwae, said at the weekend that the vice was no longer an issue for parents and school administrations alone. "Drug menace among the youth should be fought now, and TSC will not be left out in this battle," he said. The TSC boss said this in a speech read by his deputy, Mr Simon Kavisi, during the Kathiani Boys High School parents' and prize-giving day. The school is in Machakos District. [continues 90 words]
The Anglican Church will support the Government war on drug abuse and trafficking. The church has subsequently asked the National Constitutional Conference to ensure the activities are banned by law. The church said abuse of drugs, which has caused unrest in countries such as Somalia, should not be allowed to destroy foundations such as health, education and good governance. "We should not allow addicts to replace such values with foundations of different kinds," ACK Chairman of Justice, Peace, Reconciliation and Advocacy Commission, Bishop Gedion Ireri, said. [continues 133 words]
Nairobi Heads of guidance and counselling units in schools will attend a workshop on drug abuse in Nairobi next week. Foundation for People Against Drug Abuse Managing Trustee, Baraza Adonija, said the workshop will be launched on July 13, at the Kam School of Health and Beauty in Westlands, Nairobi, and the objective will be to train teachers on handling students addicted to drugs. "We want to empower teachers with the necessary knowledge to identify and counsel students abusing drugs," he said. The workshop expects to host at least 100 teachers. [end]
Nairobi There is one man whose job few would envy. His name is Mr Joseph Kaguthi, the country's drugs csar. Every day, his job becomes ever the more difficult with the revelation that more and more young people in the country are abusing drugs. The latest statistics shockingly say that there are 400,000 students who have become drug addicts in Kenyan secondary schools. The number of girls abusing drugs is said to be growing at an alarming rate and could soon surpass that of boys. [continues 255 words]
THE news about over 400,000 pupils being hooked to drugs is as shocking as it is distressing and the question which immediately comes to mind must be what steps as individuals, as parents, school authorities and as the larger society are being taken to rescue these children from the distressful situation. All children need guidance, counselling and direction. As parents we provide for these youngsters and indeed some parents are quite generous if not outrightly indulgent in this respect. Such parents may confuse being generous to a child to showing care and love to a child. Do parents take as keen an interest as they ought to in the movements and liaisons of their children? [continues 479 words]
NAIROBI-The Kenya Secondary School Heads Association has resolved to support and commit itself to make learning institutions drug free zones. The heads of schools also recommended that sponsors of national educational events should be rejected if they are promoting the use of drugs. This was said during the head teachers' national annual conference in Mombasa. Over 3,500 heads of schools and key ministry officials attended the meeting. In his keynote speech on drug abuse among students, Prof Peter Odhiambo said there are 400,000 secondary school students who were already addicted to drugs. [continues 258 words]
The Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (KSSHA) has resolved to support and commit itself to make learning institutions drug free zones. The heads of schools also recommended that sponsors of national educational events should be rejected if they are promoting the use of drugs. This was said during the KSSHA national annual conference in Mombasa. The meeting was attended by 3,500 heads of schools and key Ministry of Education officials. In his keynote speech on drug abuse among students, Prof. Peter Odhiambo said there are 400,000 secondary school students who were already addicted to drugs. [continues 355 words]
The ban by Kenyan authorities of all flights to and from Somalia has dealt a big blow to the lucrative business in the mild stimulant, khat. Khat growers in Kenya have staged protests, while militiamen in Somalia are reported to be suffering from withdrawal symptoms. Kenya last week banned all flights to and from the neighbouring country in what was described as an anti-terrorist move. The decision followed last Friday's warning of a possible imminent attack on the United States embassy in Nairobi. [continues 429 words]
Nairobi The number of girl students addicted to drugs in secondary schools yesterday shocked the head teachers' conference in Mombasa. Delivering a keynote speech on drug abuse among students in the country, a surgeon, Prof Peter Odhiambo, said there are 400,000 students who are drug addicts in secondary schools. He said the number of girls abusing drugs is growing at an alarming rate and could soon surpass that of boys. Odhiambo is associated with National Agency on the Campaign Against Drug Abuse (Nacada) and a leading campaigner against tobacco use. [continues 667 words]
Nairobi -- The media in the country has not effectively used their two major tools of investigation and campaigns in the fight against drug-trafficking and abuse. According to East African Standard Managing Editor, Kwendo Opanga, investigations and campaigns by the media have effectively been used to address pertinent issues previously and should be employed to fight the drug menace in society. Opanga was presenting a paper on positive and negative empowerment of the public by the media on narcotics at a workshop of Training of Trainers organised by the National Agency for the Campaign Against Drug Abuse (Nacada) in Nairobi. Opanga pointed out the investigative capacities of the Kenyan media houses have not been exploited to the optimum because of lack of resources. [continues 212 words]
Nairobi Top anti-drugs activists at the Coast want the National Campaign Against Drugs (Nacada) boss Joseph Kaguthi to concentrate more on the region, which is losing youths in big numbers to the vice. The proprietor of the Reach-Out Rehab Centre based in Kikambala, Mr Mohammed Murad, said Nacada should initiate more programmes and make extensive tours at the Coast. Murad said the effect of Nacada was not being felt at the Coast, where drug consumption and sale had reached alarming levels. The last time Nacada boss toured Coast was late last year and only concentrated on Mombasa district. [continues 238 words]
About 400,000 Kenyan youths are being initiated into drug abuse annually, a health conference was told yesterday. Participants at the conference, held by the National Tobacco-Free Initiative Committee (NTFIC), heard that the youth used tobacco as the initial drug. The shocking statistics were given by NTFIC chairman, Prof Peter A Odhiambo. The conference was held to launch a brochure on the adverse effects of tobacco. Present at the function was Joseph Kaguthi, the National Agency for the Campaign Against Drug Abuse (Nacada) boss and Dr Ahmed E O Ogwell, Head of Department of Non-Communicable Diseases at the Health Ministry. [continues 76 words]
British funding for Malindi's heroin users' rehabilitation centre ends A rehabilitation centre for drug addicts might be closed for lack of funding. Local and international donors have delayed money for Omar Centre in Malindi which was started three years ago to rehabilitate heroin users. The project was launched under a three-year funding from the UK's Community Fund, the centre chairman, Mr Shee Abdallah, said. This has come to an end and the centre has applied for new funding which has not been forthcoming. [continues 315 words]
NAIROBI - National carrier Kenya Airways on Thursday won a key victory in a legal tussle with 32 employees dismissed over alleged drug trafficking. High Court Judge Erastus Githinji granted leave for application for a judicial review seeking to prohibit a judge from hearing a suit lodged at the Industrial Court. Further, the ruling halts hearing of the case until the airline's application is determined. Kenya Airways wants Justice Charles Chemuttut prohibited from hearing the case filed by Transport and Allied Workers Union (TAWU). [continues 127 words]
Mount Kenya residents may benefit from a multi-million shilling scheme from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) following a decline in destructive activities in the forest, including logging and cultivation of marijuana. This follows the launch of a report on the Changes in the state of conservation of Mt Kenya forests: 1999-2002 revealing a marked improvement in activities around the catchment area. The study reveals that the levels of destructive activities, including logging of indigenous trees had significantly decreased since1999, falling by 93 per cent. Camphor logging had reduced by 96 per cent. [continues 111 words]
Inside Kenya
