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"id": 179840,
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"speaker_name": "Mr. Mbau",
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"speaker": {
"id": 182,
"legal_name": "Elias Peter Mbau",
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"content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise to second this Motion. I wish to begin by thanking the Mover of the Motion, Ms. A. Abdalla. I reckon that this Motion came to this House during the Eighth Parliament. It was unanimously supported by the hon. Members who spoke. It underlies the problems of drug abuse in this country. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, when people hear the words \"drug abuse\", they tend to think about drinking of chang'aa, smoking of bhang and use of cocaine. People forget that the issue of drug abuse is big business. It is a big issue which affects both the rich and the poor. When we talk about abuse or consumption of drugs, we are talking about both the illegal drugs and the purported legal drugs. Drugs have the ultimate effect of destroying and impairing our capacity and ability not just to make decisions, but also to perform. Drugs come in various forms. We are talking about beer, which is consumed by some hon. Members of this House. So, it becomes a mammoth issue because there is talk about the legality and illegality of consuming those drugs. They do not see themselves. They tend to see others, forgetting that they, too, are abusers. Therefore, since the consumption of illicit drugs affect both the poor and the rich in society, it becomes a big task. That is because the haves and have-nots are involved. Kenya has of late become a big drug trafficking conduit for drug barons from the rest of the world. It is also being used as destination in Africa. We have witnessed very many drug consignments being nabbed at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA). In many of those cases, Kenyans were being used as traffickers of hard drugs, including cocaine and heroin. It is shipped in for the use of young and older persons. Of course, the younger persons are more affected. We have also noted, in the recent past, our own very young people being arrested in other countries, occasioning a lot of shame to this country. When our very own young people are involved in such matters, it reflects a Kenya that has allowed its moral fabric to sink very low. Therefore, the proposal to create an authority to enable NACADA not only to enlighten the public, but also control and regulate these matters, so that the culprits, who happen to be mature people with knowledge of what is right and wrong, could be apprehended and brought to book is a welcome move. I also note that NACADA may not be able to go very far without anchoring this law in our statute books. That is because Kenyans may want to tell you that they use some of those substances, like beer, for their cultural and traditional activities. If you go to weddings and many ceremonies that are conducted across the country, you will find mature people saying that consumption of local beers is legal. It is proper to consume them. So, they continue to consume local brews like muratina that are safe. But they proceed to consume beyond safety levels. That is, of course, followed by the effects. The effects of consuming those drugs include affecting the state of the users' minds, especially the minds of our young people, who are the very bedrock of our productive activities. Our young people consume those drugs uncontrollably. We have all witnessed demonstrations in some parts of this country, including Central Province, where I come from. We have seen women complaining that our young people are no longer able to produce. Sometimes, you can even hear people and leaders complain that, because of the uncontrolled consumption of drugs, our young people are becoming impotent. That is not a laughing matter. In addition to impairing judgement, consumption of those drugs also affect our very vital organs, including the liver, lungs and brain, leading to the destruction of our own human bodies, human capacities and ability to produce, as a country. We are talking about a very grave matter. In addition, continued consumption of those drugs lead to addiction. We have been told that some people, including officers, who are purportedly responsible for the security of our people, are unable to perform their official duties. They have become addicted to drugs. We are told that as a 3412 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES November 12, 2008 result of addiction to drugs, some officers cannot even perform their duties or go to work before they take a little of what they have become slaves and prisoners to. For that reason, I believe there this is a very grave matter that could lead to behaviour change. We could be knowing of a person who used to behave normally, but because of becoming addicted to drugs, his behaviour is prone to change. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, in the recent past, you have seen the resurgence of road carnage across the country. To me, this is an effect of consumption of illicit drugs. You remember that sometimes last year, the Government claimed to have introduced a garget called a breathalyser. I do not know what became of it. We were told that it was going to curb and control road carnage. However, these days, we hear one accident after another. Kenyans are losing lives in these accidents. This is because of impaired vision and decision that drivers who drive under the influence of not just bang but also alcohol, steroid and all those other things that they take. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the high rates of domestic violence, rape and incest are negative effects of uncontrolled and unregulated distribution and consumption of---"
}