Some of the recovering addicts during the session at Makwa village in Gatundu North
By Kamau John
Worth Noting:
- They maintain that time is ripe to save thousands of alcohol addicts and especially the boy child in the region.
- Led by MC Wamuting’oe of Happy Family Local Association – a group that helps addicts recover-they decried that most young men in the region have been rendered unproductive due to heavy consumption of illicit brews including chang’aa and second generation liquor.
- “The boy-child is now the cause of pain and anguish in most families within this region. They have been turned into zombies by the outlawed liquor and we must rise and save them from the jaws of death. We cannot sit back and watch as our youth and especially young men perish to illicit brews,” Wamuting’oe said.
Illicit brews and drug menace are still deep-rooted across the Central Kenya region leaving thousands of youths still held in the shackles of the vice, stakeholders have warned.
The countless campaigns waged by both the national and local governments to combat the menace in the region have only provided a temporary solution and now converted efforts are key in dealing with killer brews completely.
Stakeholders who have been actively campaigning against substance abuse and illicit brews in the region aver that the war will be won if all stakeholders including the private sector join efforts with the government and stage a spirited fight.
They maintain that time is ripe to save thousands of alcohol addicts and especially the boy child in the region.
Led by MC Wamuting’oe of Happy Family Local Association – a group that helps addicts recover-they decried that most young men in the region have been rendered unproductive due to heavy consumption of illicit brews including chang’aa and second generation liquor.
“The boy-child is now the cause of pain and anguish in most families within this region. They have been turned into zombies by the outlawed liquor and we must rise and save them from the jaws of death. We cannot sit back and watch as our youth and especially young men perish to illicit brews,” Wamuting’oe said.
Speaking at Makwa village in Gatundu North during a session with a group of recovering addicts, Wamuting’oe, a rehabilitated addict, raised concerns over failure by local leaders to address the menace and support campaigns to deal with brews that are a significant threat to future generations.
“We thank the former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua for the efforts he made in combating this alcoholism scourge. Other leaders should emulate the same and join the fight so that we can save the youths who are being wiped out by these cheap brews and drugs,” he said.
According to Elizabeth Wambere, a Psychologist, most young men in the region are either unmarried or have deserted their families due to heavy indulgence in liquor consumption.
“Most of them cannot perform their marital duties and this spells doom for the future generations,” she said.
Wambere noted with concern that most youths are perishing to the outlawed substances due to rejection by their families, joblessness and frustrations due to hard economic times.
“The problem is anchored at the family level. Most of these youngsters are facing rejection within their families. They don’t have jobs or anything that can empower them economically. They have turned to alcohol and drugs because it’s the only thing that can give them solace. We must address these concerns for the sake of our future,” Wambere said.
Wambere called on the government to upscale the fight to the source, including those trading in raw materials used in the production of illicit brews. She also urged the county governments to control licensing of liquor traders to weed out those selling killer brews.
Residents led by Njeri Wanyoike noted with concern that the illicit brews and especially chang’aa have claimed countless lives of innocent youths, caused break-ups in families and shattered dreams of many youths.
She said that the brews have been the reason behind poverty in the region and other social predicaments.
“Our sons have been drinking and sleeping in trenches. They cannot work or have families to take care of. Our village has stagnated in terms of developments because all promising youths had their future and dreams shattered by the brews,” she said.
Recovering addicts led by Paul Gathogo and Francis Kamau blamed unemployment, poverty and rejection from family as the main reasons that pushed them into alcoholism.
Kamau, a father of two, divulged that his wife and children left him due to excessive drinking, adding that his close family members cut ties with him.
“I only find peace when I’m drunk. I had a family but ended due to drinking,” he noted.
They however dispelled claims by local authorities that illicit brews in the area and especially Makwa village have been wiped out, noting that there are traders who still sell the cheap liquor.
“The brews have slightly reduced and that’s why we are urging the government to up their game and end this outlawed liquor,” said Veronica Wakonyo, a rehabilitated alcoholic and chang’aa trader.
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