NACADA Unveils Writing Competition For High School Students; How To Apply

The National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) has announced an essay writing competition for high school students on alcohol and drug use prevention.

The authority announced that the competition is open to all secondary school students and confirmed eligibility for participation for students from all forms, however, each student may submit only one essay.

With applications open, the deadline for submission is on May 30, 2024. All entries should be handwritten and between 800 and 1000 words.

How To Submit

STEP 1: Get a duly signed by the School Principal and stamped Essay Entry Form. The Essay Entry Forms are available for download from the NACADA website www.nacada.go.ke or can be collected from the authority’s Regional Offices.

STEP 2: Send your essay and duly filled and signed entry form via email to [email protected] or mailed to the following addresses:

ADA ESSAY COMPETITION

NACADA

P.O. BOX 10774 00100

NAIROBI

Students wishing to take part in the essays may choose from the following topics:

1. Strategies for Avoiding Alcohol and Drug Use: Tips for Students 
2. The Influence of Social Media on Alcohol and Drug Use Among Students
3. Youth Empowerment: Building a Future Free from Alcohol and Drug Use
4. The Crucial Pole of Parents in Preventing Alcohol and Drug Use Among Students 
5. Creating a Safe Environment: Steps for Schools to Prevent Alcohol and Drug Use 
6. Supporting Friends: Ways to Help a Peer Struggling with Alcohol or Drug Use 

NACADA revealed that the top-performing students will be presented with awards on June 26, 2024, during World Drugs Day.

Under the theme: The Challenge of Substance Use: Building a Sober Nation Together, the competition seeks to raise awareness and prevent alcohol and drug abuse among students.

"It is a platform for students to voice their opinions, ideas, and solutions on alcohol and drug use prevention in our schools and communities... The essay competition aims to promote and encourage creative thinking through writing," says NACADA.

About NACADA

A Gazette Notice dated April 26, 2001, established NACADA to undertake a public education and awareness campaign against drug abuse, especially among youth in schools and other institutions of higher learning. 

The Authority operated as such until May 2006 when the late former President Mwai Kibaki established an Advisory Board and appointed its Chairman through the Kenya Gazette Notice No. 3749 of 19th May 2006.

Through a Legal Notice No. 140 published in the Kenya Gazette Supplement on 29th June 2007, the Agency was transformed into the National Campaign Against Drug Abuse Authority (NACADAA) under the State Corporations Act (Cap 446 of the Laws of Kenya) to coordinate a multi-sectoral campaign to prevent, control and mitigate the impact of alcohol and drug abuse in the country. In 2010, the Authority’s mandate was expanded to include the implementation of the Alcoholic Drinks Control Act 2010.

In July 2012, the Authority was again transformed to NACADA having been firmly established under an Act of Parliament and its mandate was expanded and elaborated in the NACADA Act, 2012.

The Authority works with schools, workplaces, colleges, universities, technical institutions, county governments, ministries, parastatals, national government administrative offices, faith-based institutions, CBOs, NGOs, self-help groups as well as individuals interested in a society free from alcohol and drug abuse.

Sample of alcohol bottles in a liquor shop. /FILE