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Kenya to host African meeting in fight against drug and substance abuse


Kenya will between November 8 and 11 host the 30th edition of Heads of National Drug Law Enforcement Agencies in Africa (HONLEA-Africa) 2022.

The meeting is aimed at curtailing illicit production, importation, exportation, sale and trafficking of psychoactive substances.

According to various reports, 9.7 per cent of respondents aged 15-24 years are currently using at least one substance of abuse.

Data on current use of multiple drugs and substances of abuse among respondents aged 15-65 years showed that the prevalence stood at 6.0 per cent. Nationally, 13 per cent of people are taking alcohol, cigarettes, 11 percent; and khat or miraa 6 per cent.

Current drug use among those ages 15-24 is alcohol, 9 percent; tobacco, 6 per cent; khat, 5 per cent; and cannabis, 1 per cent.

Also read: Warder arrested while sneaking drugs into Machakos prison

With this edition, Kenya will be able to acquire various ways of reducing the number of people abusing various drugs.

The weeklong meeting, being organized by the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), will bring together more than 100 heads of drug law enforcement agencies from across the continent.

On the agenda are important topics for the region, such as drug trafficking trends, new concealment methods and how to detect them, alternatives to conviction and punishment, improving regional cooperation to address the negative consequences of drug trafficking and problematic use.

The 2022 World Drug Report registered a new record for cocaine manufacture, as well as seizures of opiates and amphetamine-type stimulants.

Also read: Vihiga Boys High School students found with drugs after search with police dogs

Illicit drug markets are expanding into new and vulnerable regions and are transited from countries of origin through the African continent to destination countries in Europe.

In November 2021, Kenya was picked as the new delegate for Africa at Interpol, representing Africa at the key security organ that brings together over 195 member states.

This was a great boost to the government’s commitment towards strengthening regional and sub-regional cooperation in addressing and countering the world drug problem.

This election was largely an endorsement of the strategies that Kenya has adopted in managing crime, especially in counter-terrorism, organized crime, cybercrime and transnational crimes, as well as a vote of confidence in the Kenyan security sector on the global stage.

Also read: Was Bobi Wine’s son framed for drugs at High School?