When talking about people t has emerged that nearly half of university students in Kenya abuse alcohol, drugs, and substances. A survey by the National Campaign Against Drug Abuse (NACADA) has revealed that 46 per cent of students in both public and private universities have abused at least one type of drug and substance in their lifetime while 26 per cent are actively using them.

The survey, titled “The Status of Drugs and Substance Use among University Students in Kenya 2024” shows that even though alcohol was the most abused drug in local universities, a new, yet, worrying trend has emerged.

Students are increasingly abusing bhang as well as other hard drugs in the form of edibles such as cookies, juice, sweets, and even mabuyu.

Females abusing drugs

What’s even more worrying is that psychoactive substances such as inhalants, prescription drugs, codeine syrup, ecstasy, methamphetamine, and ketamine are becoming more common.

And as students as well as suppliers are finding more creative ways of introducing drugs into learners’ lives, more male students are catching up with these trends.

 “Females are also catching up fast. The ladies are competing aggressively at 3.7 per cent. The perception that drugs are really a male problem is no longer true. More females are using drugs,” says Professor John Muteti, the director of Programs, Research, and Policy Development at NACADA.

John Kamau (not his real name), a 29-year-old drug supplier operating within different areas in Nairobi acknowledges that drug abuse, especially bhang, is on high demand in campuses within the city. He says that campus students are his biggest customer base compared to the regular citizens because their demand is very high.

“Most of my customers are from public and private universities and also colleges within the circles of Nairobi. My days are typically very busy because I have to supply “kush” (an alias for bhang) in many of these institutions,” says Kamau.

According to him, Nairobi is a good market because there are many higher learning institutions and he takes advantage of it.  He narrates that he prefers selling to students because they are his biggest cash cow and are easily accessible.

 According to him, he sells at least 200 rolls on a daily basis and some students even order the drugs in bulk.

“Students usually have money, and most of them, especially in private universities, are rich kids who normally pay in cash,” he says.

The supplier, commonly referred to as a pedi admits that he learnt the ropes of selling drugs while he was a student at a university in Rongai. He notes that he was introduced to drug abuse, particularly bhang, when he was a second year during his campus days and he got hooked.

“I did not know of drugs when I joined campus. But then, I met a group of friends who were using bhang to cope with the academic pressures, and I must say it was a unique experience. I slowly started becoming heavily reliant on it and couldn’t go for two days without using it,” he says.

He observes that while at the university, he and his friends would struggle to find the drugs as there were not many suppliers at the time. That is when he saw a gap and started doing research on how he would be getting the supplies.

“I saw a gap. The demand for bhang was extremely high. I talked to someone and he introduced me to the business at a fee, I remember I paid it with part of my school fees, and that’s how I started supplying to my friends within campus.,”he says notes.

While he understands that the business is risky and detrimental to students, he says he does not lure the students as they come at their own free will.

“I’ve never pointed a gun at anyone’s head, to come buy the goods from me. I only supply what they want and that’s just business,” he says.

Started as a hobby

For Yvonne Otuka (not her real name) a 25-year-old fourth-year student, bhang plays a critical role in her academics. She says she can only handle the pressures of her tough architectural course when she is under the influence of bhang.

“When I use bhang, it not only calms me down but also makes me very creative. While I can’t say I’m an addict, I prefer using a roll a day, and during the times when the pressure is too high, my urges for it also increases,” she says.  Just like Kamau, the female student says she learnt to use bhang from her friends in campus. “It started with a few puffs, and then before I knew it, I was fully immersed,” she says, adding that the pressure to keep up with her “woke” friends also played a critical role.

For her, she needed an escape and drugs were just her way out of the pressures.

And to deal with this growing menace, Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen says that the government, through his ministry, will launch a crackdown against drug abuse in universities.

He proposes introduction of National intelligence Services in universities to help identify and arrest the suppliers