Public Service CS Sicily Kariuki at a past event. [Photo/ nation.co.ke]
Taxpayers, according to a new government policy will now be funding rehabilitation of civil servants addicted to drugs and alcohol.
Public Service Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki highlighted how drug and alcohol addiction can negatively affect the health, safety and productivity of workers.
She launched the policy last week.
Ms Kariuki said the government was concerned and committed to making sure the wellbeing and productivity of civil servants is maintained.
“This is in line with the global best practices in prevention and management of workspace substance abuse,” she said.
A 2012 survey by the National Authority for the Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) showed that lifetime use of alcohol in the public sector stood at 57.9 per cent. This was higher than the national average of 32.2 per cent.
Kariuki said the addiction problem poses a big challenge to the quality of services delivered and Vision 2030 realization.
Drug and alcohol addiction is one of Kenya’s biggest social challenges particularly in Coast, Central and parts of Rift Valley.
In early 2016 President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered for a crackdown against alcoholism in Central Kenya- targeting second generation and illegally imported alcohol products.