Interior and National Administration CS Kipchumba Murkomen has warned that alcohol and drug abuse has spiraled into a national crisis that cannot be solved through police crackdowns alone.
Speaking in Vihiga during the Jukwaa la Usalama forum of the county, Murkomen said the menace is eating into the country’s social fabric, which calls for an urgent and united front from all sectors of the society.
“This problem is now bigger than mere enforcement of the stipulated rules. We must find a long term solution. Communities, churches, chiefs, county commissioners, political leaders, and families must all rise up against this vice,” he said.
The CS cautioned that unless Kenyans embrace social and cultural change, the war on drugs and alcoholism will remain a losing battle.
He stressed that the government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) must also be integrated into the fight, noting that economic empowerment and social reform go hand in hand.
“This crisis calls for honesty. People must come out and say what they are going through, so that government can design interventions that truly serve them,” he added.
Murkomen warned that failure to act decisively would plunge future generations into a deeper social decay, urging Kenyans to take full responsibility.
“If we do not change now, our youth will be lost to addiction, our families will collapse, and our economy will bleed. This is not just a government fight, it is a fight for the very survival of our nation,” he declared.
During the engagement forum, the CS met with the local National Government Administrative Officers (NGAOs) including chiefs and their assistants, as well as members of National Police Service, who appealed to the government to improve on their terms and conditions of service.
By Rose Wasike
