Youth Are Drinking Because They Don't Have Jobs- Raila To Gachagua
Raila, in apparent defence of the youth resorting to alcohol, argued that the reason young men drink is that they lack job opportunities.
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Azimio la Umoja leader Raila Odinga on Thursday, April 20 criticised Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua's campaign against alcohol and drug abuse in the Mt Kenya region.
Speaking during a town hall meeting at Murang'a County, the former Prime Minister found fault in Gachagua's crackdown against illicit alcohol, which the Deputy President has been terming as a major trouble facing residents of the mountain region.
Raila, in apparent defence of the youth resorting to alcohol, argued that the reason young men drink is that they lack job opportunities.
He recommended to Gachagua and the Kenya Kwanza government as a whole to give the young people job opportunities to prevent them from drinking further, instead of arresting them.
"There is a person who came and said that young people are drinking alcohol and should be arrested.
"The youth are drinking alcohol because they don't have jobs to do. Do not arrest people because they have drunk alcohol, give them work to do so that they can stop drinking alcohol," he addressed.
Raila claimed that the reason the young men resort to drinking was to forget all of their problems, and advised the government to let them drink uninterrupted if they don't have work to do.
"But if they don't have work to do let them drink, to forget their problems,” said Raila.
During Gachagua's launch of a campaign against alcohol and drug abuse in Mt Kenya, the Deputy President vowed that the government would crack down on abusers and those producing illegal alcohol, arguing that they are worse than murderers capable of destroying generations.
“Those who produce illicit alcohol that destroys future generations are worse than murderers.
"The force of government will be felt in this region and the rest of the country from next week. It is either drug and alcohol abuse or you the security agents that will leave this region,” the Deputy President said.
A recent report by the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) ranked Central Kenya as the region with the highest level of alcohol consumption. At least 12.8 per cent of residents aged between 15 and 65 consume alcohol, compared to a national rate of 11.8 per cent.
While the national use of portable spirits stands at 2.5 per cent, in Central Kenya the rate is 4.1 per cent. Portable spirits are classified as illicit brews.
Further, the report indicated that despite the increase in alcohol consumption, public rehabilitation facilities are few, leading to an increase in the number of people with alcohol-related disorders. In addition, most rehabilitation facilities are expensive.
The number of cases of alcohol-related disorders is 3,199,119, while the abuse of any one substance has resulted in 4,733,152 cases of disorders.
In January this year, the DP came under sharp criticism after asking governors from the Mt Kenya region to revoke all licenses in a bid to issue a license per every town, a move that was vehemently opposed by bar owners.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki on April 14 listed alcohol and substance abuse alongside terrorism and cattle rustling as the three main threats facing the country.
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