Western leads in chang'aa consumption – Nacada survey

The survey sought to provide estimates to track the national, regional, urban and rural drug and substance use indicators.

Piece by: MAGDALENE SAYA
News

• The National Survey on the Status of Drugs and Substance Use in Kenya 2022, was conducted in selected clusters spread across all 47 counties.

• The study sampled Kenyans aged between 15 and 65 years with 3,314 interviews conducted.

A chief in Makwa village pours Kangara from a cave in a chang'aa brewing den.

The Western region has the highest prevalence of alcohol use at 24 per cent followed by Coast at 14 per cent and Central at 13 per cent, the latest survey by Nacada has revealed.

The report shows Nairobi region has the highest prevalence of manufactured legal alcohol at 10.3 per cent followed by Central at 10 per cent and Eastern at 8.4 per cent.

The National Survey on the Status of Drugs and Substance Use in Kenya 2022, was conducted in selected clusters spread across all 47 counties.

The study sampled Kenyans aged between 15 and 65 years with 3,314 interviews conducted.

It sought to provide estimates to track the national, regional, urban and rural drug and substance use indicators.

From the report, the Western region leads in the use of chang'aa at 11.4 per cent followed by Nyanza at 6.3 per cent and Rift Valley at 3.6 per cent.

Central has the highest prevalence of potable spirits at 4.1 per cent followed by Coast at 3.2 per cent and Rift Valley at 3.1 per cent.

"Western region had the highest prevalence of current use of traditional liquor at 12.9 per cent followed by Coast at 7.4 per cent and Nyanza at 2.2 per cent," the report shows.

Overall, one in every eight Kenyans aged between 15 and 65 years translating to 3,1,99,119 Kenyans are currently using alcohol.

From the report one in every five males and one in every 20 females within the same age bracket are currently using alcohol which is 2,511,763 males and 687,356 females respectively.

"The survey established that alcohol continues to be the most widely used substance of abuse in Kenya with findings pointing towards increasing demand for cheaper and readily available alcoholic products especially chang'aa, traditional brews and portable spirits," the report said.

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