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Drugs and substance abuse in Mt Kenya region has in the past years led to the destruction of the lives of many young men in the region as parents helplessly watch their future hope fade away slowly due to the consumption of illicit brews.

Many young men have lost their lives in the past, while others cannot even start families Those with families cannot sustain them for long since they cannot provide.

Second chance for addicts

However, the young men have been given a second chance to reshape their lives through a rehabilitation and reintegration programme steered by the office of the spouse of the deputy president Dorcas Rigathi.

In the first phase of rehabilitation,65 recovering addicts from Nyeri County have already left Timau rehabilitation centre after three months and they are now on the path to recovery.

In the Mathira constituency, Nyeri county, parents have narrated their anguish as their dreams of reaping the fruits of their handwork of raising their children to become better people in society get shuttered.

Mary Mwago from Kihayu village says her firstborn son Godfrey Mwago was an obedient child during his childhood, but she started noticing changes in his behaviour while in the University and at some point he had to discontinue his studies.

Upon graduating, he landed a lucrative job in Nairobi and that is where his drinking habit escalated.

“My son was very obedient during his childhood and I never noticed any ill behaviour from him until he joined university. After graduating, he could not sustain any job due to his drinking behaviour,” she said.

His wife says that their life has changed and his husband who is a mason has since started providing for them.

Changed life for families

“His life has changed for the better since he came from the rehab and he accounts for every penny he spends and we are happy as a family,” she says.

The 65 recovering addicts are currently under the post-rehabilitation and reintegration programme where they are undertaking different courses such as welding, driving and making tree nurseries in Kiamariga where over 300,000 tree seedlings have been planted.

While enriching themselves with these skills, the programme has a stipend set aside so that they can fend for themselves and families before they can fully stabilize in life.