Alcohol and cigarettes are the most available drugs among university students, a study has shown.

The study by the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (Nacada) showed that alcohol was the most available substance (87.3 per cent) followed by cigarettes (64.4 per cent).

Others are shisha (41.2 per cent), vape/e-cigarettes (31 per cent), nicotine pouches (30.7 per cent), kuber (23 per cent) and snuff/chewed tobacco (22.1 per cent).

The report titled Status of Drugs and Substance Abuse among University Students in Kenta 2024 was released yesterday by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen.

 Murkomen warned that female university students were also becoming increasingly more vulnerable to drug use.

“The revelation that female students across the universities are having higher prevalence of moderately severe and severe depressive disorders compared to their male counterparts is a matter of concern to the future of the Girl Child,” the CS said.

On the availability of narcotic drugs, the study further revealed that smoked cannabis was the most available narcotic drug (61.7 per cent) followed by cannabis edibles (47.6 per cent), cocaine (15.1 per cent) and heroin (14.3 per cent).

Results from the focused group discussions (FGDs) targeting university students identified multiple cannabis edibles ranging from weed cookies, weed mabuyu, weed lollipops and weed juice.

Among the psychoactive substances, it was found that prescription drugs were the most (13.9 per cent) available followed by inhalants (13.1percent), codeine/cough syrups (11.5 percent), methamphetamine (8.5 percent), ecstasy/GHB/LSD/Psychedelics (8.1 percent) and ketamine (7 percent).

“Morphine, a potent opioid used for management of severe pain, was reported as an emerging substance of abuse in the student’s FGD,” the Nacada report states.

The study also showed friends were the main sources of drugs (66.4 percent) followed by canteen/bar/premises within the neighbourhood (59.3 per cent); fellow students within the institution (56 per cent); online purchasing over websites or social media (39.4 per cent); canteen/bar/premises within the institution (28 per cent); support/non-teaching staff (11.4 per cent); and lecturers/teaching staff (7 per cent).

Online platforms

“Whereas technology has come as a boon, aiding access to academic materials online, the report has also revealed that there was an increasing use of online platforms and websites for promoting the sale and use of drugs,” CS Murkomen warned.

Almost half of university students in Kenya have used a drug or substance of abuse in their lifetime. About 20 per cent, one in every five university students, have ever used at least one type of tobacco, while 1 in every 7 university students (13.4 per cent) have smoked cigarettes.

Nacada also revealed that 10.9 per cent have used shisha, 8.6 per cent e-cigarettes, nicotine (4.6 per cent), snuff/chewed tobacco 4.1 per cent).

Also, 1 in every 6 university students (18 per cent) had ever used at least one type of cannabis in their lifetime while 1 in every 7 university students (14.9 per cent) had smoked cannabis.

The study covered both public and private universities across all the 8 administrative regions of the country.

“A total of 17 universities were included in the study. The study population comprised undergraduate students from public and private universities. A total of 15,678 respondents were interviewed translating to a response rate of 99.7 per cent,” Nacada said.

Over half (54.2 per cent) of the student population were male and 45.2 per cent were females while 0.6 percent did not state their sex. Most (61.7 per cent) of the students were accommodated outside the institution.

Depressive disorders

According to the study, there was evidence of the involvement and use of university students in the supply and sale of drugs, and the increasing use of online platforms and websites for promoting the sale and use of such drugs.

The analysis also revealed a high burden of depressive disorders among university students where 1 in every 17 students had moderately severe depressive disorders and another 1 in every 29 students had severe depressive disorders.

Data analysis also showed that guidance and counselling services were the most common intervention available to address drug abuse among university students followed by awareness talks, peer counselling, and policy on drug-free environments within the institution.

“The students found in possession of drugs and substances were mostly referred to guidance and counselling, referred to peer counselling, referred to treatment and rehabilitation, warned or cautioned, suspended from the institution, parents or guardians summoned, expelled from the institution or taken to the police,” the report stated.

Based on the findings of this study, Nacada made several recommendations including rolling out deliberate and sustained prevention interventions like strong mentorship programmes by the university management.

The university management should also consider mandatory accommodation of students within the institutions and in accredited privately managed accommodation facilities outside the university;

Nacada also recommended that the university management and the Ministry of Education strengthen the guidance and counselling departments to support the provision of brief interventions for students with substance use disorders (SUDs), mental health disorders, and other unresolved trauma.

Others include collaboration and strengthening the university chaplaincies, provision of affordable and accessible treatment and rehabilitation services tailored to the unique needs of students in higher learning institutions, and enhanced parental monitoring and role modelling.