| 340 | CHALLENGES FACING IMPLEMENTATION OF GOVERNMENT STARTEGIES TO CURB USE OF ILLICIT ALCOHOL AND DRUGS ABUSE IN KAWANGWARE SLUM NAIROBI CITY COUNTY, KENYA. | Alcohol and drug abuse
Strategies and challenges to curb alcohol and drug abuse | The purpose of the study was to establish the challenges facing implementation of government strategies to curb use of illicit alcohol and drugs abuse in Kawangware slum Nairobi city county, Kenya. Alcoholism is widespread in Kenya, a survey of alcohol related deaths by Nacada foundthatlifetimeuseofalcoholwasestimatedat37.9percentforthewholecountrywhere59.3% of males and 21% of females reported they had used an alcoholic drink at leastonceinthepast.The study was anchored on two theories, namely; Social learning theory; symbolic interaction theory.. The study used a descriptive survey research design. The study was carried out in Kawangware slum Nairobi city county, Kenya,. Purposive sampling technique was used in these study. From the findings the study found that Corruption is a major barrier to enforcement of the Alcoholic Drinks Control Act 2010; The institutions tasked with enforcing the law are compromised, including the police, the Chiefs and Assistant chiefs who quite often seek rent to protect culprits; That Illicit brewers, pay the police to be allowed to continue with their illicit trade; that corruption hindered effective policy implementation through bribery and extortions by the police, Chiefs and Assistant Chiefs, and during processing of licenses. From the findings respondents agreed to the statement that the officers who implement the policy are in themselves a challenge.; That there is a shortage of personnel in the rehabilitation and treatment sectors, acting as a barrier to part of the policy’s objective,; That the low enforcer to population ratio is a challenge because efficiency will not be achieved; that Sometimes, the Chiefs and the police are not be in good terms thus jeopardizing implementation of the Act that requires cooperation within the policing sectors. From the findings the study found out that there is inadequate knowledge of Alcoholic Drinks Control Act 2010 by both policy implementers and alcohol trade operators; That the lack of knowledge on the Alcoholic Drinks Control Act acts as a barrier to its implementation,; That People will continue going against the law as long as they are not aware of any legal provisions against it, that there is absence of constant educational campaigns in the community about the Act hence its inefficiency in controlling alcohol. The study recommends that there should be Creation and support for atmosphere conducive for people in slums to initiate their own activities based on their experience with their peers. Peer Counselling Model could be used in drug abuse prevention hence develop comprehensive training for both staff and students to acquire specialization in ADA helping skills. This study strongly recommends to the Ministries of Interior Coordination of National Government, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health and, Ministry of Sports, Culture and Arts to appreciate the huge magnitude of drug abuse in our society today going beyond efforts of every stakeholder should streamline their roles, functions and mandates to avoid log jamming execution. There is a need for both state and non-state actors who are stakeholders in matters of curbing use of illicit alcohol and drugs abuse in the informal settlement to diversify the illicit alcohol and drugs abuse prevention programs that are provided to the residents. This will be in answer to that need as reflected by the perspective of the majority of the respondents in the study. The possible adequacy of the illicit alcohol and drugs abuse prevention programs may be attained by ensuring that almost all the predictors of criminogenic and delinquency behaviour in the informal settlement are addressed. The community policing initiatives in the informal settlement need to be reviewed and evaluated to ascertain their effectiveness in terms of curbing use of illicit alcohol and drugs abuse so as to prevent crime and promoting security and stability in the settlements. This will go a long way in enhancing the trust of the community members in the police, who are mandated by the government to restore or rather maintain law and order in the informal settlement. | JOSEPH GITHUA THUKU | Download |
