Activists accuse politicians of fuelling narcotics trade

Magodoroni, is one of the infamous 24 hours drug dens in Mombasa where no police officer dares to set foot in.

In Swahili, Magodoroni means a place with a lot of mattresses. The area got its name from drug addicts who would carry with them their bedding to take a nap after getting high on drugs. 

Here, cocaine, heroin, bhang, methamphetamine, among others, are sold in the open and the last time when police officers attached to the Flying Squad dared to step foot there while chasing a member of a criminal gang, one of them lost his life.

The officer was stabbed in the chest on June 13, 2018 while he and his colleagues were chasing members of Wakali Kwanza. Police have listed the area a crime hotspot in Kisauni.

Anti-drug activists say around 2,000 addicts visit Magodoroni to buy and abuse drugs daily.

“It is one of the oldest drug dens in Mombasa. It operates like an open-air market, sometimes you will mistake the area for a political rally except for the high number of intoxicated men lying on the alleys of Swahili houses helpless and hopeless,” said Citizen Against Child and Drug Abuse (Cicada) director Farouk Saad.

The area is a no-go-zone for strangers and those who have strayed in the vicinity have lived to narrate how they survived death or walked back naked, having been robbed off their valuables and clothes.

“The den is also the hideout for criminal gangs who have over the years been attacking Public Service Vehicles and shops on Old Mombasa-Malindi road,” Saad added. The area has become notorious for gang violence that has spilled over into the entire Kisauni. Fears of violence and muggings have forced people to flee the area and those who own houses there have to be at home before dusk.

Ground fee

Another notorious drug den is located at Shimanzi go-down. Here owners of the warehouses, which include government departments, have been unable to stop sale of drugs. Saad says about 1,500 addicts buy their dosage here.

“Drugs have played a major role in undermining the economic well-being of our county. It is hard for drug users to hold onto job, stay in class or care for a child because they spend all the money and attention on getting stoned,” said Saad.

Drug dealers operate their businesses behind the warehouses and no one dares to step foot there except a group of police officers who normally come to collect bribes every day. The bribes are known as “Pesa ya Kiwanja” meaning ground fee in drug business circles. Other notable drug dens include Bamburi, Jomvu, Madhubaa and Old Town.

Anti-drug campaigners claim politicians in Coast have been fuelling drug trade by either being directly involved in the business or receiving proceeds by way of campaign money or projects sponsorship.

When former Internal Security minister George Saitoti tabled names of five Kenyans allegedly involved in drug trade in Parliament in 2010, many anti-drug activists in Mombasa were not surprised.

Four of the suspects are high flying politicians. Police investigations, however, concluded that there was no evidence to link the individuals as well as a leading businessman to drug trafficking.

The names of the five were contained in a confidential Drug Enforcement Administration report given to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission by former US ambassador to Kenya Michael Ranneberger.

Last year, two Akasha brothers; Baktash Akasha and Ibrahim Akasha accused by US government of trafficking in drugs, dropped names of some of the politicians who had been named by Saitoti as drug barons. Involvement of politicians in drug trade has been a matter of concern with reports indicating that close to 10 former and current elected leaders from the Coast region could be selling drugs.

“A big number of politicians in Coast region are in power courtesy of sponsorship from drug barons. They receive huge amounts of money during elections to fund their campaigns. In return, they have to offer protection,” said Coalition against Drug and Crime executive director Fuad Abdalla.

Adding: “We cannot win the war against drugs because there is no political goodwill in the fight. Politicians and police have been the major stumbling block and that is why no politician in Mombasa speaks against the vice. They will never take part in protests or raid on the drug dens.” 

Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya (CIPK) claims some politicians in Mombasa have been queuing to get handouts from drug dealers.

“Unlike in other places where politicians join hands with residents to weed out vices such as drugs and illicit brews, our politicians do not want to be associated with that. This is because they do not want to be seen to fight hands that feed them,” said CIPK organising secretary Sheikh Khalifa Mohammed.