The alarming increase in the number of teen heroin users in the coast region

Recent research has found that heroin users on Kenya’s East Coast are getting younger, and worrying trend is an issue of huge national concern. According to Fatma Jeneby, who runs a harm reduction programme called the Muslim Education and Welfare Association (or MEWA) in Malindi; “We’ve seen there is a total change in trend of heroin users, at the age of 15 to 24 years, so this is very alarming to us, because if we are getting drug users at the age of 15 years, meaning that at the age of 10 years, they’ve already started using other drugs so heroin is just a progression of whatever has been there before. ”
Marijuana’s Role as a ‘Gateway’ Drug
As alluded to by Fatma, heroin use in Kenya is largely preceded by use of other ‘soft’ drugs, most commonly marijuana (locally known as bhang). In April it was officially announced that Kenya would not follow the example set in other countries (most notably the United States) by legalising the use of Marijuana for medical purposes.

 NACADA Chief Executive Officer William Okedi made the announcement, saying that “although some states in the US, have approved the use of marijuana for medical reasons, research still indicates that it has negative impact on those who consume it.”

This was seen as great news by the conservative right wing and the medical lobbyists within the country who were stringently opposed to the legalisation of both medical and recreational marijuana within the country. But in reality, the lack of a change to the law made no difference in the widespread use or ease of access of the drug. The marijuana laws currently in place in Kenya (specifically the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Control Act of 1994) are considered to be largely theoretical, because they are rarely adhered to by law enforcement officers or other figures of authority. To those working in hospitals and harm reduction programmes in the country, it is clear that marijuana is a gateway drug that can often lead to heroin addiction, and as such its illegal status should be more stringently enforced.

Worrying Trends of Drug Use

Kenya is in the grips of a national drug epidemic, and the number of drug users across the country continues to rise year on year. Drug use is introduced as a very young age in the country, with the average age for first using both cigarettes and alcohol being 9 years old, and the average age for first using marijuana being 14 years old.

Ironically, the new and stricter laws controlling alcohol consumption amongst young people that were introduced in 2015 are also thought to be contributing to the youth drug epidemic, with many vulnerable young people finding that bhang and heroin are much easier and more affordable to access than alcohol. In a recent situation assessment by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, perceived harm for cocaine and heroin stood at an incredible 80 percent in urban areas and a just as concerning 60 percent in rural areas. These figures are higher than in any other country in the continent.

Whilst we can recognise that these figures are concerning, what many programmes fail to do is assess why drug use rates amongst Kenya’s teens is so high. The unemployment rate in Kenya currently sits at around 40%, meaning that many families are plunged into poverty, and it is thought the combination of boredom that accompanies unemployment and lack of hope that accompanies poverty are both helping to contribute to the growing numbers of youth drug takers.

Peer pressure is also a major contributing factor to Kenyan youths’ drug use, particularly in school environments. Taking drugs, engaging in risky sexual activity, and drinking alcohol are all considered to be rites of passage amongst Kenyan teens, and many drug users in the country report anecdotally that they began using drugs because they were encouraged to do so by their friends. The fact is that drug use is reducing the life expectancy for young people in our country and taking away their hopes for the future. Understanding why they are making these decisions is an important first step in helping them to overcome their addiction.