The government has moved swiftly to reinforce its fight against illegal drugs and illicit alcohol by assigning 208 new officers to the Anti-Narcotics Unit. The deployment is part of a broader national plan directed by President William Ruto to curb the rising menace, strengthen enforcement, and coordinate actions against criminal networks fueling addiction.
Speaking on Tuesday during a multi-agency meeting aimed at boosting the country’s response to the crisis, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the expansion of the unit is a direct implementation of the President’s directive to tackle drug and alcohol abuse urgently.
“The prevalence of illicit alcohol and drugs in our country has reached alarming levels, posing a serious threat to the future of our nation. In his New Year Address, H.E. the President directed our Ministry to urgently upscale the fight against this menace. We resolved to immediately strengthen the Anti-Narcotics Unit through the deployment of an additional 208 officers, with numbers to increase progressively to the requisite strength by the end of the year,” Murkomen said.
He added that the unit will receive extra support and resources to ensure officers can carry out their duties efficiently and dismantle sophisticated trafficking networks.
A nationwide operation will be coordinated by a multi-agency team to target the production, distribution, and sale of illicit alcohol and drugs. Murkomen said the crackdown will also include seizure of assets acquired through illegal trade, in line with the law.
Law enforcement will be stepped up at unregulated border points and major transport corridors, while county governments are expected to assist with rehabilitation and reintegration programs for those affected by substance abuse.
The meeting was attended by key officials, including Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja, Chief of Strategy Execution in the President’s Office Adan Mohamed, Deputy Inspector Generals Eliud Lagat and Gilbert Masengeli, DCI Director Mohamed Amin, Principal Administrative Secretary Beverly Opwora, Internal Security Secretary Thomas Saka, KEBS CEO Esther Ngari, NACADA CEO Anthony Omerikwa, and Director General of the Assets Recovery Agency Mark Ogonji.
In his New Year address at Eldoret State Lodge, President Ruto described alcohol and drug abuse as a national emergency and warned that no one would be immune from accountability, including government officials involved in illicit networks.
“One in every six Kenyans aged between 15 and 65, that is over 4.7 million people, is currently using at least one drug or substance of abuse. This is no longer a marginal issue; it is a national emergency,” he said.
The President highlighted that the crisis is concentrated among men and young adults, undermining the country’s most productive age group.
“One in every three Kenyan men in this age group uses drugs or alcohol. Among young adults aged 25 to 35, our most productive population, one in five is affected. Over 1.5 million young Kenyans are being pulled away from opportunity into dependency,” he said, adding that alcohol remains the most widely consumed substance, with over 3.2 million users.
He further noted that drug initiation often begins between 16 and 20 years of age, with some cases reported as early as seven.
Ruto called for harsher penalties for traffickers, arguing that the current fines do not act as a deterrent.
“In certain countries like the Philippines, Malaysia, and China, drugs attract the death penalty. People are hanged for trafficking and selling drugs. We cannot achieve first-world status while the most productive generation is being wiped out by drugs and alcohol,” he said.
The President announced that the Anti-Narcotics Unit under the DCI will be upgraded to match the operational capacity of the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit, including surveillance, intelligence, forensic, and financial-investigation capabilities to dismantle networks and protect communities.
