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The government has unveiled new measures to tackle rising drug use in Kenyan universities, warning that the trend poses a serious risk to students’ health and the country’s future workforce.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said security agencies had uncovered a growing practice where cannabis is infused into common snacks such as bread, mandazi, and kangumu and sold within campuses.
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“Students are being targeted through food items that appear ordinary but are laced with cannabis. This form of edible cannabis is now widespread around our universities,” Murkomen said.
Speaking during a security forum in Kiambu, Murkomen directed sub-county security committees to involve college leaders in their meetings, alongside student representatives, church leaders, and local businesses, to strengthen the fight against drugs.
The warning follows a recent alert by the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA), which reported a worrying surge in drug use among students.
A nationwide survey released in February across 17 universities involving more than 15,000 students revealed that nearly 70% of those arrested for drug-related offences were students, with cannabis, synthetic drugs, and alcohol being the most common substances.
NACADA CEO Anthony Omerikwa cautioned that synthetic drugs, in particular, are becoming a “hidden threat” that is difficult to detect until too late, describing the findings as a wake-up call for urgent intervention.
Murkomen emphasised that the government’s response would go beyond policing, calling for collective responsibility from schools, faith institutions, and the community at large in addressing the crisis.
