Kenya says it has intensified war on illicit drugs, contraband cigarettes and illicit brews with Public Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni warning that rising substance abuse among young people is a national crisis.

Ms Muthoni said the state will combine tougher enforcement with expanded rehabilitation services to curb the spread of harmful substances in estates, villages and learning institutions.

Speaking at Angola Health Centre in Kisumu East Sub-County, the principal secretary warned that abuse of nicotine products and illicit brews among young people has risen to catastrophic levels. She directed county governments and national administrators to work jointly to shut down illegal outlets in residential areas.

“It is a directive that we must stop the sale and use of drugs in our communities. We cannot keep losing our young people to nicotine products, drugs and other substances. I urge county commissioners, chiefs and community health promoters (CHPs) to be vigilant. If you see it, say it” she stressed.

Muthoni said the fight against drugs and illicit substances required a coordinated effort, noting that enforcement officers may never succeed without the support from local authorities and residents.

The principal secretary demanded that county governments to take greater responsibility, especially in regulating and licensing businesses, saying some illegal outlets operate under the cover of legitimate permits.

“The County Commissioner cannot work alone. The county government must also take responsibility because licensing is done at that level. We must act together to protect our children,” she said.

Muthoni cited the Tobacco Control Act of 2007 as the primary legal framework guiding enforcement against illegal and unregulated tobacco and nicotine products.

She raised concern over cigarettes labelled “only for sale in Kenya,” questioning their safety and authenticity. “You cannot sell products here that are not even allowed where they come from. Let them be tested there first before bringing them here,” she said.

She warned that some of the unregulated tobacco and nicotine products on the market were linked to throat and lung cancers and may be mixed with other dangerous substances whose long-term health effects are unknown.

Ms Muthoni said government agencies have stepped up surveillance and laboratory testing to determine the composition of suspicious products entering the Kenyan market.

She revealed that several consignments of contraband cigarettes had already been seized and destroyed in Nairobi and Eldoret as part of a nationwide crackdown. The next destruction exercise planned in Mombasa next week.

 “This is a continuous operation. We will not allow Kenya to be a dumping ground for products that cannot be sold in other countries,” she said.

At the grassroots level, she said community health promoters will play a key role in identifying families affected by drug and substance abuse and linking them to care. Chiefs and other local administrators, she added, were also urged to step up community surveillance and reporting.

However, the principal secretary explained that government strategy will go beyond arrests and seizures.

While traffickers and illegal traders will face the law, individuals already struggling with addiction, she added, would be handled as patients in need of help.

“We are not going to kill the ones who are already in it. We are going to help them. The government will help them,” she said.

She announced plans to establish cessation and rehabilitation centres across the country to support those seeking to quit tobacco, nicotine and other substances.  The centres will work alongside expanded mental health services, reflecting growing concern over the link between substance abuse and mental health challenges among young people.

• A Tell Media / KNA report / By  Chris Mahandara