Trans Nzoia County Commissioner Gideon Oyagi has called on all the stakeholders in the fight against alcoholism and substance abuse in the county to support the National Substance Abuse Prevention Week.
The week-long prevention campaign under the theme “My Community, My Prevention Pillar” is implemented by the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA).
Addressing the press at his Kitale office’s grounds, Oyagi said the fight against alcoholism and substance abuse is shifting from crackdown to prevention.
“It is good for us to appreciate that alcoholism and substance abuse is a menace in the County. We have been organising for crackdowns, we have been making arrests but at the end of the day we are not achieving the expected results and that is why the focus is on prevention,” Oyagi stated.
The County Security and Intelligence Committee chair said alcoholism and substance abuse are linked to the rise in crime especially in informal settlements.
“Dealing with this menace will result in a notable decline in cases of crime in our County. We should not see security management as a function of the National government but as our collective responsibility. This begins with preventing alcohol use and substance abuse,” Oyagi added.
On her part, NACADA’s representative in Trans Nzoia, Trizah Mwangi said alcohol, tobacco, bhang, miraa or mugukaa are the top four leading drugs in the cosmopolitan county.
Forkland: Trans Nzoia village leading in drug abuse
She revealed that Forkland village in Kwanza Constituency and Matisi in Saboti are leading in terms of drug and substance abuse.
There will be a sensitization exercise at St. Emmanuel Primary School in the Forkland area.
“We want to sensitize the people of Trans Nzoia about the effects of alcoholism and substance abuse. As an authority, we cannot do this alone and that is why we have other stakeholders including the NGAO (National Government Administration Officers) on board,” Trizah stated.
She further stated that the directive on the closure of all alcohol joints next to learning institutions is in force.
“Part of what we are doing is to identify those outlets that could be near schools. As you know, the function for licensing alcohol outlets was devolved to the County governments and we are trying to complement each other because sometimes the counties see this as a revenue stream,” she added.
The National Substance Abuse Prevention Week also celebrates and recognizes members of the community who are fighting against alcoholism and substance abuse in their localities.
