This archive report was first published on 27 August 2019.
According to a report by the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (Nacada), published on June 27, 2019, pupils as young as four years old are abusing drugs in Kenya.
The survey, which involved 3,307 pupils from 177 primary schools across 25 counties, found that 28% of the drugs and substances abused by pupils originate from shops around schools.
Bars near schools were identified as the second main source of the drugs, accounting for at least 25% of the substances abused, while friends provided about 19% and school workers 13.6%.
Alcohol was found to be the most abused substance, with 7.2% of pupils admitting to using it, followed by tobacco, miraa, and marijuana at 6.0%, 3.7%, and 1.2% respectively.
The report, titled “Status of drugs and substance abuse among primary school pupils in Kenya”, also revealed that the average median age of onset of at least one drug or substance abuse was 11 years, while the lowest reported age of onset was four years.
