Nairobi Star (Nairobi)
Wachira Mwangi
30 June 2011
An anti-drugs crusader at the Coast has called on leaders in the region to show commitment in the fight against drugs. Abdulswamad Shariff, the chairman of the Shariff Nassir Foundation, said the drug menace is on the rise again because leaders are lax and cordon the the vice. “Our leaders should be in the fore front in this war on drug traffickers. But they have skipped crucial meetings that directly affect the society,” said Abdulswamad.
Speaking at Bomani Grounds in Likoni, he said more rehabilitation centres at the Coast need to be constructed, while the existing ones be improved and expanded to accommodate more addicts.
Mombasa chief magistrate Rosemelle Mutoka said the vice has re-emerged with the drug peddlers and traffickers more bold and daring and sell even in the law courts.
Mutoka said the barons be identified and prosecuted so youth can be saved and made productive. She said the public need to have faith in the judiciary for it to work effectively. “We as the judicial body want to separate the drug barons from the abusers and this will only be possible with your help,” she told her audience.
Drug barons and traffickers will no longer get cash fines, but lifetime imprisonment if found guilty and the abusers rehabilitated instead of being jailed. The magistrate advised the police to ensure they have sufficient evidence before dragging suspects to court. Coast PC Ernest Munyi called on relatives not to abandon addicts in rehabilitation centres.
AllAfrica – All the Time