A recent survey conducted by the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) has revealed that alcohol is the most commonly misused drug in Kenya.
The national survey, titled ‘Status of Drugs and Substance Use (DSU) in Kenya, 2022,’ which was released recently, indicates that approximately one out of every eight Kenyans between the ages of 15 to 65, which amounts to around 3,199,119 people, are currently using alcohol.
The region with the highest rate of alcohol use is Western Kenya, where nearly 24% of the population indulges in drinking.
This is followed by the Coast region at 13.9% and Central Kenya at 12.8%.
The survey also highlights that Nairobi has the highest rate of legal alcohol consumption at 10.3%, followed closely by Central Kenya at 10.0% and the Eastern region at 8.4%.
When it comes to ‘chang’aa,’ a traditional homemade spirit, Western Kenya takes the lead at 11.4%, with Nyanza region following at 6.3%, and Rift Valley at 3.6%.
Traditional liquor is most commonly consumed in Western Kenya at 12.9%, followed by the Coast region at 7.4% and Nyanza at 2.2%.
Potable spirits are popular in the Central region with a rate of 4.1%, followed by the Coast region at 3.2%, and Rift Valley at 3.1%.
Tobacco is the second most commonly used substance, with a prevalence rate of 8.5%, which means that one in every 12 Kenyans aged 15 to 65 (approximately 2,305,929 people) use it.
Breaking it down regionally, the Central region reports the highest usage at 11.9%, followed by the Coast region at 10.8%, and the Eastern region at 10.7%.
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Khat, also known as Miraa, ranks third, with a prevalence rate of 3.6%, meaning that about 1 in every 28 Kenyans aged 15 to 65 (approximately 964,737 people) currently use it.
This substance is most popular in the Eastern region, with a usage rate of 9.6%, followed by North Eastern at 7.2%, and Nairobi at 4.9%.
Cannabis, or Bhang, comes in fourth place, with approximately 1 in every 53 Kenyans aged 15 to 65 (about 518,807 people) currently using it.
Notably, this number has increased by 90% in the past five years. Nairobi leads in cannabis consumption, followed by Nyanza and the Coast.
NACADA also reports that around 1 in every 500 Kenyans aged 15 to 65 (approximately 60,407 people) use prescription drugs.
Broken down by gender, around 1 in every 500 males (around 18,567) and 1 in every 333 females (around 41,840) use these drugs.
The data reveals that approximately 1,766,583 Kenyans use multiple drugs, while 4,733,152 use at least one substance.
Interestingly, the survey found that the average age for starting to use tobacco, alcohol, khat, cannabis, prescription drugs, cocaine, and heroin is between 16 and 20 years.
However, some individuals begin using these substances at much younger ages, with tobacco use starting as early as 6 years old, alcohol at 7 years, cannabis at 8 years, khat at 9 years, prescription drugs at 8 years, heroin at 18 years, and cocaine at 20 years.
