Nairobi — A magistrate's account of a 4-month-old child addicted to alcohol has shocked lobbyists campaigning against drug addiction, laying bare the scope of drug abuse in the country.
Jackie Kibosia, a Principle Magistrate based at Nairobi's Milimani Law Courts, left religious leaders in shock on Tuesday after sharing with participants at a training sessions convened by the Office of the Spouse of the Deputy President (OSDP) her experiences with a four-month-old presented to court in a child neglect case.
The four-month-old baby had become addicted to Smirnoff, making the child the youngest addict Kibosia had known.
The mother who worked as a prostitute said she had no alternative but to give the baby Smirnoff at 6.00pm, so she could sleep throughout the night as the mother went to work.
"The baby could not stay sober. When the baby was rescued, the baby was already addicted," Magistrate Kibosia narrated during a forum at Nairobi's Bomas of Kenya.
The magistrate urged the religious leaders to be strong on prevention rather than response when the crisis hits families and communities.
She also urged the religious leaders to become members of the Court Users Committee (CUC) to give solutions, and collaborate with the country's justice system.
Second Lady Pastor Dorcas Rigathi who joined the training called on mothers of drug barons to urge their children to stop the killer trade.
"I am speaking to every mother; every drug baron is the son of somebody. If we can speak to the big boys (drug barons), then they can stop killing our young boys. We do not want to bury our children," said Pastor Dorcas.
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The training mounted by the OSDP with the support of the National Syndemic Diseases Control Council (NSDCC) brough together 1,000 religious leaders from across faiths.
Experts from NSDCC, NACADA, NASCOP, the Judiciary, National Police Service, and the Kenya Prison Service facilitated the session.
NSDCC CEO Dr. Ruth Laibon-Masha and her NASCOP counterpart Dr. Jebet Boit highlighted key focus areas including relapse prevention, and after care post-rehabilitation, including community involvement.
Participants were also taken through different therapies including pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy, biological component and counselling.
"We have to take a social responsibility for the boy child, or otherwise we will have a crisis. The country is already using Sh1billion for methadol," said CEO NSDCC, Dr. Ruth Laibon-Masha.
Dr. Jebet Boit added that over 90 per cent of those using the methadol were boys and men.
A Representative from the Kenya Prisons Service, Rev. Dr. Peter Wambugu challenged the religious leaders to become more involved in the rehabilitation of the convicts and also reintegrating them into society.
"Research has shown that only 23 percent of religious leaders have made an impact in matters of rehabilitation of prisoners."
"We call upon your attention, concern and compassion towards these categories of boys and men in our correctional facilities. We have 58,528 males and 3123 females in our correctional facilities today," said Rev. Wambugu.
Throughout the training, there was a continued call to decriminalize drug addiction and criminalise drug cartels. - DPPs
