Human Rights Advocates Raise Alarm Over Escalating Hard Drug Crisis Targeting Children in Eldoret

 

Human rights defenders have raised fresh concerns over what they describe as an escalating and deeply troubling drug crisis affecting children and youth in Eldoret. Speaking during a community forum, the advocates issued a stern warning that unless urgent, coordinated action is taken, the region risks losing an entire generation to addiction and substance abuse.

Prominent human rights advocate Kimutai Kirui said the community is confronting an unprecedented infiltration of hard drugs, including heroin, shisha, second-generation alcohol, and bhang, which are allegedly being packaged in deceptive forms to lure unsuspecting young people.

According to Kirui, drug peddlers have resorted to disguising harmful substances as biscuits, tablets, or confectioneries—products easily accessible to schoolgoing children.
“We have a serious problem in the community,” he warned. “Hard drugs like heroin, shisha, and bhang are being sold in Eldoret, putting the lives of our children at enormous risk. Some are being sold in the form of biscuits and tablets. A child can take one, and for a month, he is intoxicated. This is destroying their lives before they even begin.”

Kirui further alleged that while the police in Eldoret have made commendable attempts to curb the sale and distribution of narcotics, their efforts are often frustrated.
“The police are really trying to help, but officers who take action are sometimes transferred the following day. This raises serious questions about the forces undermining their work,” he said.

He pointed to the circulation of ethanol within the town as another major contributor to the crisis, saying it is being misused to produce dangerous illicit brews that young people can easily access.
“The ethanol in Eldoret town is really destroying our children’s future. We know some of the people involved in this business,” Kirui claimed, emphasising that his concerns were directed not at the national administration but at unnamed political actors he alleges are enabling the illicit trade.
“It is not the President. It is some politicians who purport to be close to the President, yet they are the ones destroying our children.”

Kirui appealed to political leaders to take responsibility and act decisively, noting that some of the individuals fuelling the drug trade hold influence at the local level.
“We want to appeal to our leaders because they are a major cause of this issue. They know the networks. They know who is selling these drugs. We cannot continue losing our children while leaders look the other way,” he said.

He also urged religious institutions, particularly the church, to step in and help mobilise the community around prevention, awareness, and rehabilitation efforts.
“Heroin is being peddled like no one’s business. We are asking the church to help us solve this menace. The community must come out, take a stand, and agree that enough is enough,” he insisted.

Another human rights activist, Juma Akumu, echoed Kirui’s sentiments, describing the situation as a national emergency in the making.
“As a country we are in real danger. Our children are being destroyed by drugs, and if we do not act now, we will lose an entire future generation,” Akumu said. “The church must rise to the occasion. Our children are dying from hard drugs—this is not a distant threat; it is happening right here among us.”

Akumu lamented that children as young as 12 are reportedly being exposed to narcotics, with some dropping out of school due to addiction. He warned that beyond the immediate health risks, the spread of hard drugs threatens to worsen crime rates, destabilize families, and erode social structures.

The activists called for a multi-agency response that brings together law enforcement, local leadership, schools, parents, religious institutions, and civil society organizations. They urged authorities to increase surveillance, dismantle drug networks, provide rehabilitation for affected youths, and strengthen early-warning systems within schools and neighbourhoods.

They also emphasised the need for long-term solutions, including youth empowerment programs, mental health support, and community-based initiatives targeting prevention and recovery.

As concerns continue to mount, residents in Eldoret are awaiting an official response from local authorities and national agencies. For now, the human rights community warns that failing to act swiftly risks plunging the region into a full-blown social crisis.

“This is not just a drug problem,” Kirui concluded. “It is a battle for the soul and future of our children—and we must face it together.”