Mombasa County Commissioner Maalim Mohamed has blamed parents for the increase in drug abuse and criminal activities among youth in the county.
The county commissioner faulted parents for not taking charge of their children's lives.
Speaking in Mombasa on Monday, Maalim asked parents to monitor their children's behaviour, adding that they will be held accountable for their kid's actions.
"When your child gets home late in the night with a phone, an ipad or a laptop and as a parent you are not bothered, you must be held accountable when things go wrong," said Maalim.
The commissioner said that drug and substance abuse among the youth is on the rise, a situation that has led youth to engage in criminal activities, in order to sustain their lifestyle.
"Another thing that has led to petty crime among the youth is drug abuse. They arm themselves with knives in order to get a coin to buy drugs," said Maalim.
"We want to crack the whip on those dealing in drugs. Users will not be spared either," he added.