Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has warned individuals involved in the distribution of illicit drugs and adulterated ethanol that the government is intensifying efforts to combat alcohol and substance abuse.
Speaking on Saturday, Murkomen described 2026 as a critical year in the fight against drug and substance abuse.
“This is the year we are liberating our youth from the yoke of drug and substance abuse,” Murkomen said, adding that authorities would focus on dismantling networks involved in the trade of illicit drugs and adulterated alcohol.
He said he is scheduled to meet Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja next week to discuss the operationalisation of a directive issued by President William Ruto to strengthen the Anti-Narcotics Unit.
The directive, announced during the President’s New Year address, includes plans to recruit an additional 500 officers.
Murkomen said the government considers alcohol and substance abuse a major impediment to national development, particularly due to its impact on the country’s productive population.
“There is no country that can achieve first-world status when its most productive population is trapped in alcohol and substance abuse,” he said.
He also urged county governments to establish at least one rehabilitation centre in each county to support treatment, recovery, and reintegration of people affected by drug and alcohol dependency.
According to government plans outlined by President Ruto, the Anti-Narcotics Unit within the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) is set to be strengthened and expanded.
The unit’s personnel is expected to increase from about 200 to 700 officers and be equipped with enhanced surveillance, intelligence, forensic, and financial investigation capabilities.
The President said the expanded unit would focus on investigating high-level drug trafficking and illicit alcohol networks, alongside asset tracing, seizure, and forfeiture.
He noted that any assets recovered through such operations would be redirected towards rehabilitation, prevention, and treatment programmes.
Ruto also warned that any government official or security officer found to be colluding with drug traffickers would face prosecution and dismissal from public service.
In his New Year address delivered from Eldoret State Lodge on December 31, the President declared alcohol and drug abuse a national emergency, citing its impact on public health, national security, productivity, and social stability.
He referred to statistics indicating that a significant proportion of Kenyans aged between 15 and 65 use at least one substance of abuse, with millions affected nationwide, and noted that harmful use often begins at a young age.
“This crisis demands decisive national action,” Ruto said, outlining a multi-agency approach focused on enforcement, prevention, and coordinated government response.
Authorities say enforcement operations targeting illicit drugs and illegal alcohol have been conducted in various parts of the country in recent months, leading to arrests and the destruction of seized substances, in accordance with the law.