Renowned drug hotspots in Lamu

Piece by: CHETI PRAXIDES

26 August 2021

Cocaine and heroin are the most peddled drugs in Lamu county according to the security department.

The two drugs which go by the street name of ‘Unga’ are normally sourced from areas on the Kenyan coastline like Shimoni in Kwale, Mombasa County and also from the rest of Kenya.

They are transported into Lamu via vehicles and boats while disguised as clothing bales, perfumes, bags of grocery and many other tactics used by the dealers to reduce the chances of the drugs being noticed by security officers.

Once in Lamu, these drugs are then sold to the local dealers who thereafter sell the same drugs to their local clientele.

Others include Bhang and a variety of subscription drugs.

The war on drugs in the region has however continued to encounter a major hurdle in the form of a community that refuses to cooperate to end the menace.

Lamu county commissioner Irungu Macharia says the community shields drug dealers hence providing them with a thriving environment to continue to the illicit trade.

Renowned drug hotspots in Lamu include Langoni, Jua Kali, Gadeni, Wiyoni, Kashmir and Kandahar areas in Lamu Town as well as Pate, Faza, Kizingitini, Tchundwa, Myabogi and Mbwajumwali in Lamu East.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime-UNODC in coordination with MEWA hospital, the county government of Lamu has established a Methadone clinic at the Lamu King Fahad Hospital to help drug addicts recover.