Nacada challenges religious leaders to join fight against drug abuse
Coast
By
Willis Oketch
| Aug 31, 2025
Drug and alcohol abuse is on the rise in Mombasa and Nairobi, Nacada director Fredrick Ngugi has said.
Ngugi called on religious leaders to take a leading role in rehabilitating drug addicts across the country.
He said it was sad that most religious organisations overlook the drug menace that has turned youths in the country into zombies.
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Mr Ngugi warned that drug abuse remains a worrying challenge in Kenya as some addicts who are unable to access rehabilitation are dying from self-inflicted injuries.
He urged the clergy to “live up to expectations” by personally taking responsibility for rehabilitating at least one addict and helping them access rehabilitation.
The Nacada boss spoke at the ACK Mombasa Memorial Cathedral on Sunday during a harvest festival thanksgiving service for the Mombasa International Show.
“We have about 3.5 million youths aged between 15 and 24 addicted to drugs and alcohol who need help from all Kenyans, including religious leaders from all walks of life,” he said.
He regretted that many youth are addicted to marijuana, alcohol, miraa, and other substances but often fail to admit their condition. This, he said, makes it essential for the clergy to join Nacada in the fight against drug abuse.
Ngugi encouraged church leaders not to ignore addicts living on the streets.
“Let us not only offer prayers but take action by identifying addicts and ensuring they get rehabilitated,” he said, adding that he had personally rescued and rehabilitated several addicts in Mombasa, many of whom had vowed never to return to drugs.
Bishop Mwaro Baya urged the government to address food security by supporting farmers to increase production.
He lamented that more than 50 years after independence, farmers still face the same challenges they did in 1963.
Bishop Baya attributed the decline in food production in some areas to a lack of government support and poor market prices for produce.
“Agriculture is not rewarding, and that is why some farmers have abandoned it,” he said.
Mombasa International Show branch chairman, Henry Nyaga, announced that this year’s event would feature over 200 exhibitors, including newcomers from China, Argentina, Ghana, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, and Botswana.
Local first-time participants include Kipchimchim Group, the Office of the Auditor-General, Kenya Sugar Board, Dola Group, Mombasa Cement, and Inchcape Kenya.
Entry fees will be Sh350 for adults, Sh300 for children, and Sh250 for groups of 10 or more children. The show will run from Wednesday to Sunday.