The National Authority for the Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse, NACADA, on November 29th 2023 held a collaborative meeting with religious leaders drawn from various faith institutions at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD). The meeting aimed at determining the role of religious institutions in the prevention and management of alcohol and drug abuse.

Representatives from various religious institutions such as the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (SUPKEM) and the Association of Pentecostal and Evangelical Clergy of Kenya (APECK), were present. Acknowledging the gravity of the problem that is drug and alcohol abuse in Kenya, the men of cloth underscored that religion has a key role to play if we are to win this war.

Echoing the Interior and national Administration Cabinet Secretary Prof Kithure Kindiki’s remarks, the CEO Dr. Anthony Omerikwa, MBS emphasized that the three threats we face in Kenya are: terrorism, banditry and alcohol and drug abuse. He said, “Unlike the first two threats, we know the enemy in substance abuse. We know the enemy by name. One is called ethanol; another is called Rohypnol.” “Unlike the other two, this fight is not won by guns or uniforms. It is fought through religious motivation, understanding, emotional support and care.” He added

The Religious leaders were called to emulate Sheikh Jamaludin Osman, the Jamia Mosque Imam who gave a very spirited lecture to congregants in a mosque while speaking against the recent rise of drug abuse among youths in South B and C.
At the end of the event, the religious leaders issued a joint statement on their commitment to the campaign against alcohol and drug abuse.