The national and county governments plan to establish at least one public alcohol and drug rehabilitation centre in each of Kenya’s 47 counties within the next year, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has announced.
Kindiki said on Tuesday, September 29, that each facility is expected to cost about Sh60 million. If 47 centres are built at that estimate, the combined cost would be approximately Sh2.82 billion.
The announcement followed a meeting in Karen with Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja and heads of enforcement and regulatory agencies to review the government’s response to illicit alcohol and drug abuse.
The proposal would expand the government’s response beyond raids and arrests by making treatment available through public facilities across the country. Kindiki did not specify which counties would receive new buildings, whether existing facilities could be expanded, or how construction and ongoing operating costs would be shared.
Counties and national government to discuss the plan
Kindiki directed the Interior Cabinet Secretary to convene a forum with the relevant Council of Governors committee within 14 days. The meeting is expected to address alcohol licensing and control, alongside a framework for establishing and running the rehabilitation centres.
That framework will be central to the pledge. A construction budget alone would not cover the staff, treatment services and continuing costs needed to keep a centre open.
Kenya already has accredited rehabilitation facilities, including some run by public institutions and county governments. The new commitment is therefore best understood as a promise to ensure at least one public facility in each county, rather than a claim that rehabilitation services do not currently exist.
Manufacturers ordered back under inspection
Kindiki also directed regulatory and enforcement agencies to re-inspect alcohol manufacturers’ premises to establish whether they comply with applicable standards and regulations. He said intelligence-led operations were targeting illicit supply chains and unlicensed manufacturers, and that agencies would receive additional resources and equipment.
A special Intergovernmental Budget and Economic Council meeting is expected next month to discuss the economic effects of illicit alcohol, drugs and addiction.
The government has previously spoken of establishing treatment and rehabilitation centres across all 47 counties. Tuesday’s announcement puts a price and deadline on that goal. The next test will be whether the national and county governments agree on funding, identify suitable sites and publish a timetable that the public can track.
