Nassir urges substance abuse debate to move beyond politics, cites regional differences

Substance abuse should be treated as a broader social challenge rather than a political issue, according to Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir.

Nassir says different regions in Kenya are grappling with varying forms of drug and substance use that require tailored responses.

Speaking on Radio Generation on Monday, Nassir said the debate on substance abuse should move beyond politics and acknowledge its wider social roots, warning against generalisations about affected regions.

“I think first of all we need to be able to accept that this is a societal problem, not a political problem,” he said.

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He argued that while some parts of the country struggle mainly with alcohol abuse and others with misuse of prescription-related substances such as cough syrup, the Coast region faces a distinct challenge involving khat-based products.

“If you go to places like Central Kenya will be in denial that we do have a problem… currently you go to other places like North Eastern, young people are on cough syrup,” he said.

Nassir said available data and observations from treatment centres show that substance use patterns vary significantly by region and should be addressed based on evidence rather than perception.

“But the truth of the matter, the biggest problem we have is Muguka in the Coast region,” he said, adding that findings from rehabilitation and wellness facilities in Mombasa indicate widespread use of muguka among young people seeking treatment.

“If you go to our mental wellness facility… a majority of them is actually muguka,” he said, adding that the trend was also reflected in records from a NACADA-run rehabilitation centre in Mombasa.

He insisted that the issue was often misunderstood due to stereotypes linking the Coast mainly with hard drugs, arguing that such narratives overlook the broader substance use landscape.

Nassir said the county government had also undertaken a confidential school-based survey in collaboration with the Ministry of Education to better understand challenges affecting learners, including links between substance use and school unrest.

“What we did is we sent in young people with very confidential questionnaires to all the students,” he said, noting that respondents were not required to provide names or identify their schools.

He said preliminary findings from the exercise pointed to easy access to muguka as a key concern among students.

“You’ll be surprised… one of the major things that is coming out is easy access,” he said.

The governor also defended his previous push to restrict muguka, saying it faced legal and political resistance but was motivated by concerns over productivity and youth wellbeing.

“I’ve never been taken to court that many times. I was taken to court by nine cases,” he said.

Nassir argued that the social cost of substance use outweighed economic arguments often raised against regulatory action, particularly where young people are concerned.

According to the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA),an estimated 17.5% of Kenyans aged 15 to 65 use at least one drug or substance, while alcohol remains the most commonly abused substance.

A separate report on universities found that 45.6% of students had used at least one substance in their lifetime, with 26.6% reported as current users.