Rampant alcohol and drug abuse is the root cause for poverty among the youth in the country, according to a local NGO.
Speaking to students at Natewa secondary in Nakuru on Friday, the director of Umoja Rehabilitation Centre, based in Subukia, Dr. Winnie Wilkins, said drug abuse has become a menace to many youth.
She further added that peer influence and lack of early counseling services for the youth were the chief causes of drug abuse among many Kenyan schools, further urging teachers, religious organizations and parents, that their responsibility was to ensure young people grow up responsibly.
“We as parents, teachers or religious people should know that it is our responsibility to instill good morals and life skills among the youth. But we are not concerned at all and that is why our young ones are languishing in poverty because of the problems brought about with drug abuse,” said Wilkins.
The rehabilitation centre was established early this year, and carries out awareness on the problems related to drug abuse, and admits youth with drug and psychological related problems from schools and colleges across the country.