The country is at the verge of losing a lot of young people who are abusing alcohol and drugs, a cleric has raised concern.
The church leader decried that middle aged men and women were getting drunk early in the morning and were spending their days idle.
Many of them are noticed unable to walk home and just relaxing and sleeping at the roadside, and when one speaks to them, they start borrowing some money not exceeding Sh 50, he added.
Bishop James Njenga who is the national chairman of Voice of Men and Children (Vomec) said that a lot of those affected by the alcoholics and drugs are depending for food, drinks and shelter from their families, regardless of their age.
He said it was sad central region is affected since a lot of addicts are observed in so many trading centers and villages from the morning everyday.
Bishop Njenga noted that Ndeiya ward in Limuru constituency is an example, adding that a lot of youths who include secondary school students have been affected.
He attributed the rise of alcoholism and drug abuse to availability of those items, adding that a lot of control measures are needed.
“We have a lot of young people abusing drugs and taking alcohol. This is sad since when you go other regions of this country you cannot find such vices, but in Central region, alcoholism and drug abuse is rife” he said.
“The vice has affected secondary school going students. Some drink alcoholics and others smoke bhang. This is so sad. We are heading to lose a generation of nothing is done” he said.
Speaking at Thigio trading center in Ndeiya, Bishop Njenga decried that a lot of bars have been licensed in the area.
“We have so many bars in our region. You can find one trading center has many bars than shops and hotels and they are always full. These are places where bhang peddlers have resulted to look for customers. They do not hide so much”, he said.
A resident Margaret Njambi revealed that so many women are crying in silence since their husbands had abandoned their martial affairs since they cannot perform.
“So many women in this area are frustrated and stressed by their husbands. Some cannot buy anything as food or clothes. They cannot even satisfy their wives. They are so weak” she said.
“The issue has seen young girls refusing to get married in fear of frustration in future” Njambi revealed.
Bishop Njenga has asked the county government of Kiambu to reduce bars in their trading centers by declining to issue them with trading licenses.
The cleric noted that, Boloti, Makutano, Tiekunu, and parts of Thigio are affected by the vice, adding their neighbouring areas of Ruthigiti and Kamangu in Kikuyu constituency are affected too.
He noted that, the national government officers were working hard to reduce the vice, but were being frustrated by licenses being displayed by some bars and other outlets.
The cleric spoke at a time when locals women were planning for a protest.
“I’m informed that women from Ndeiya are planning for a protest in a near future. They are planning to inform the police, the deputy county commissioners officers, since they plan to march up to Kiambu county commissioner’s office in Kiambu town” he revealed.
