Drug and Substance Abuse among the Youth in

the Informal Settlements within Nairobi

By

Muchemi Rachel Nyambura

A Master’s Student at Tangaza University College
A Presentation Submitted to the National Authority
for the Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse
(NACADA).
Theme: “The Youth and Drugs: A call for Action”
 Outline;

• General Introduction
• Background to the problem/Statement of the problem
• Significance of the study
• Research Objectives.
• Basic Assumptions of the study
• Methodology
• Aim of Research
• Target population, sample size and sampling procedures
• Theoretical Framework/Conceptual Framework
• Findings
• Recommendations
• Suggestions for Further Research.
 General Introduction;

• Drug/substance abuse is becoming an increasing

problem in Kenya. A number of studies carried out in
the country shows that almost every youngster at one
time or another experiments with drugs and substance
especially bhang, alcohol or cigarettes.
• The marked and felt velocity is continually highlighted
in the dailies since the major cause of concern is that a
significant proportion of these young people eventually
get addicted posing a threat to their own health and
safety, while creating difficulties for their families and
the public at large.
• While globalization has opened opportunities
for individuals and communities to increase
wealth and spending, it has also widened
access to previously restricted products across
national boundaries including illicit drugs.
 Objectives
• The objectives of the study were to explore the meaning of
drug/substance abuse,
• To find out the major causes and effects of drug abuse,
• To identify types of drugs and substances abused,
• To find out the strategies to use to help our youth come out
from this menace.
 Statement of the problem

• Drugs/substance abuse among the youth in

various informal settlements (slums) has become
of a particular concern.
• The research gap ;This study seeks to explore
drug/substance abuse in the stated group. The
study was based in Food for the Hungry Kenya
during my internship, a project in place pertaining
and entailing youth events on drug/substance
abuse and HIV and AIDS prevention hence youth
sensitization.
 Significance of the study;

• This study could help both NACADA as the main body

, the government among others to better understand the
current situation and accordingly make changes to
address the factors that contribute to drug/substance
abuse among our youth..
• This would help them take precautions towards this
current menace and get rid of it starting from the
initiators of the youth mostly out of school to drug /
substance abuse, through the youth themselves
especially those who are openly engaged to this kind of
illegal activity.
 Basic Assumptions of the Study;

• As the art of knowledge gained through

research, some of the explanations have been
discounted or proved false. I believe as other
proponent do that, change is possibly only
through personal motivations and efforts.
 Methodology;
• The study employed both qualitative and
quantitative research methods which aimed at
collecting data from the respondents featured in
the study, as stated by various authors, ie
Mugenda, O and A. Mugenda, (2003).
• Data collection involved primary way of
collecting data, which included various research
tools and instruments such as questionnaires,
interview guides, etc, where as secondary data
was through books, journals, and articles among
other materials.
 The aim of the Research;

• The overall aim of the study was to gain

insight into the current trend of drug/substance
abuse among the target group and to analyze
strategies used to address the problem.
Target population, Sample Size and Sampling
Procedures;

• The population of interest in this study comprised of youth

both in and out of school within the following slums;
Huruma, Mathare Area(area 10, and area 3), Kawangware,
Dandora and outskirts of Nairobi like Njiru.
• Out of 150 youth from the youth groups registered in the
slums visited, I sampled out a sample size of 90 youth.
• The sampling procedures employed were both probabilistic
and non-probabilistic. In addition, I conducted interviews
with principals of the schools I visited, the students and
youth leaders from various groups.
 Theoretical Framework

• This study was guided by social cognitive theory by

Albert Bandura (1986), where by behavior is
determined by the persons thought processes, the
environment and behavior itself, where in this case,
were the youth within the informal settlements.
• This means that individuals determine their own
behavior while being influenced by the environmental
factors and their own behavior. For example, youth who
believe that taking a substance like cigarettes, alcohol
etc, will make them more attractive, strong, recognized
and even more interesting to be around with.
• The figure below shows how perceptions of
drugs/substances have an effect on the attitude
whether to abuse or not.
 Conceptual framework;

• Independent variables intervening variables Dependent v

• Perception on drug/ Social factors e.g. - Drug
/ substance abuse
• Substance abuse - Peer pressure, -
abuse behavior,
• Positive Attitude - Availability of drugs etc - Use
• Cultural factors
• - Beliefs - Non
abuse
• - Negative perception / - Culture
• Attitude Environmental factors

• - Nature & Nurture

• - Economic factors business Fraternity.
• Political factors
• Weak legal prosecutory.
•
•
 Causes of Drug/Substance Abuse as
Reported by the Youths
• The following are the factors that were
revealed by the youth during the study as the
major causes of drug/substance abuse
rendering them to become the current most
vulnerable group.
• Cultural factors, social factors, economic
factors, political factors, environmental factors
among others.
 Fig 3.1(Cultural factors);

• According to theses results, most respondents, 83.33%

strongly believed that cultural factors influences youth
into drug/substance abuse and therefore a major area of
concern.
• This could be attributed to the fact that youths
especially those out of school are moving away from
dependence and the protective confines of the family
towards relative independence and social productivity,
and hence their friends through the culture of feeling
highly, influences them negatively into drug/substance
abuse.
 Fig 3.1(Cultural factors);

90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40% 83% Strongly Disagree
30%
20% Disagree
10% 13.33%3.33%
0% 0.00% Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
 Figure 3.2(Social factors)

100% 94%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40% Strongly Agree
30%
20% Agree
10% 2.22% 2.22% 1.11%
0% Neutral
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
• The youth felt social factors are also causes of
youths engaging in drug/substance abuse.
• For instance, most youth out of school said they
dropped from school at an early age in order to
look for money that well cater for the whole
family and that their little ones go to school while
them they don’t as told by their parents to do, and
since they fear being disowned, they obey.
• This could also be included in the cultural factors
as it’s a way of life among these young people.
Figure 3.3-economic factors.

0.00%
6.66% 0.00%

Strongly Agree
Agree
17.77%
Neutral
75.55% Disagree
Strongly disagree
• From the above views, 75.55% of the youth who were 68
out of 90 strongly believed and agreed that the economic
factors facing the society today contributes to the problem,
especially the youth mostly in and out of school. The reason
is, due to the problems facing the slum dwellers like lack of
capital and better ways to earn a living due to no
employment leads them to indulge in this menace also as a
way of life and earning a living.
• On the other hand 17.77% just agreed economic factors
influences them, 6.66% were neutral where as no number
disagreed nor strongly disagreed. This shows that economic
factors are seen as also mostly the cause of the youth’s ways
of life due to economic retardation in our country,
unemployment to mention a few.
 Figure 3.4-Political factors

Strongly Agree
0.02%
22.22% Agree

46.66% Neutral
5.55%
Disagree
25.55%
Strongly
Disagree
• This indicates 46.6% of the youth 42 out of 90 was the
highest number of youth who believed that
drug/substance abuse among the youth is influenced by
political factors, how? for lack of transparency among
our guiders in the society welfare, culture of impunity,
as well as weak legal prosecutory where by the youth
felt that this weakens the battle against this menace.
They also believed that poor policies in place has led to
the youth in not minding what’s going around them
hence engages in this stark reality.
Figure 3.5(Environmental factors);

70
60 Strongly Disagree
50
40 Disagree
30 58.88 Neutral
20 Agree
31.11
10
0 10 Strongly Agree
• The views on environmental factors indicated
that, 58.8% of the youth strongly agreed they
do cause abuse of drugs. How?, living in slums
watching their elders engaging in drugs, and
substances like alcohol leads them to indulging
in drug/substance abuse. Then, 31% just
agreed these factors were causes, where as
10% were neutral.
• Hence, we can see that the factors mentioned
above were the causes of drug and substance
among the youth though we need to dig deep
to see whether there could be other causes of
which I believe could be there if we unite and
pursue the whole agenda together.
Effects of Drug/Substances Abuse as
reported by the youth;
• There were also effects of drug and substance abuse as the youth revealed
to be; health complications, family break-ups, poor performance in schools
as well as contributor of social evils in the community, increased school
dropouts, diseases like cancer, HIV and AIDs, sexual transmitted diseases
due to the influence of the drugs and substances they use, for instance
alcohol, injecting drugs among others.

• Other effects included increase in crime rate, mental disability and

disorders, social evils like immoral decadency such as rape which leads to
unwanted pregnancies among young girls.

• Increase in poverty due to financial break down and economic retardation,

loss of focus in life full of regrets, indiscipline, loss of jobs for those
working, low self esteem, lack of development both physical and spiritual,
insecurity, violence, hostility and confusion in everything the victim of
drug abuse does.
The Prevalence of drugs/ substance among the
youth
• The empirical study showed that, drug/substance abuse is widespread
among the youth with 16.6% saying they have abused drugs/ substances.
• However 12.22% of the youth interviewed said that, they have friends who
are in drug abuse and that they were trying to come out of the bondage. The
findings in general revealed that more male abuse drugs/ substances than
female, i.e. (57%) males and (43%) females as the percentage indicated for
both youth in and out of school.
• This study also established that the proportion of drug/substance abusers
increases with age from 20 years and above. The youth out of school said
that they had friends who had indulged in drugs and have stopped taking
them. However, all the participants I encountered in my study revealed that
most drug/ substance abusers live in urban slums rather than rural areas,
though still from the references, drug/substance abuse is not dependent on
area of residence and no significant relationship could exist between the
two variables.
 Conclusion
• The current study has revealed that youth use all types of
drugs/substances with those injecting themselves and are
highly predisposed to diseases like HIV & AIDS and Hepatitis
B and C.
• The study showed that drug/substance abuse is a threat to the
general public as well as to the youth still in school and those
specifically out of school.

• It is therefore evident that drug/substance abuse among the

youth must be fought in all ways so as to bring down
drug/substance related problems at all levels in the society.
• In Kenya, this menace has threatened the lives among young people
aged between 11and 29years, as the group I interacted with and the
rate is estimated to be between 44 and 56% among youth mostly
who are still students in secondary schools and those in universities,
(Gatonye, Daily Nation November 29,2009).

• This shows that drugs/substance abuse is a reality. The implication is

that with this threat hanging over it, the future of the society is
uncertain and therefore something must be done urgently to address
the issue. Change can only be attained if all the parties concerned
have seen its need and have made an informed decision to effect it.
• Eradication of drug/substance abuse is therefore the
collective responsibility of all the stakeholders.
Moreover as clearly indicated in (NACADA,
2006:35) reports, young people at an early stage of
drug taking could benefit from the provision of early
prevention / intervention services to help them stop.
• However, the efforts and potentials recognized from
both government and non-governmental
organizations actively working against
drug/substance abuse herald hope and a brighter
future against the abuse phenomenon.
• Thus, drug/substance abuse among the youth is
common and spells danger not only to the
youth who abuse the drugs but also to the well
being of society and whole the nation at large.
• Drug / substance abuse is determined by the
existence of risk and protective factors. The
risk factors include; lack of family and school
role models, peer pressure, poor school
performance, conflicts between the young
people and their parents, easy availability of
drugs and substances, poor parenting seen as
the most and major problem as the youth
reported, conflict between school system and
family values among others.
• However the tendency to abuse drugs and
substances is higher in male than in female. The
greatest proportion of drug abusers is aged
between 16-29 years and the least between 11-16
years where by youth in schools are most
involved.
• From the findings still, drug/substance abuse is
strongly dependent on age of respondents, ease of
availability and having family members who
abuse drugs.
• Overall, commonly abused drugs / substances are
alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and khat. The reason for
using these drugs is that they are easy to access and
almost all except cocaine and heroine are locally
produced.
• Sources of drugs are mostly the low economic areas
such as slums, small shops and public transport through
touts and drivers. These drugs / substances are taken in
secret and ‘safe’ places away from the authority. Youth
both in and out of school expressed knowledge on
dangers of drug/substance abuse though they still
abused drugs fro they believed it as a way of life.
 Strategies to prevent and control drug/substance abuse
could include the following;
• guidance and counseling among these youth which is
highly required,
• creating awareness,
• forming forums and anti-drug campaigns,
• imposing law enforcements on drug/substances,
• empowering youth to come up with self help youth
groups and also,
• enforce bans on misleading slogans or adverts on
drugs/substances among others.
• These proposed ways to curb and control
drug/ substance abuse imply that there is need
for team work by all stakeholders in
addressing the issue, which has become a stark
problem in reality in our country Kenya.
• However, there are many challenges facing the
society as a whole in dealing with
drug/substance abuse issues especially among
the youth in and out of school.
• This is an indication that there is an urgent
need to address these challenges and find a
solution to the problem before it is too late, so
as to save our youth from self destruction.
• Hence, the synthesis of the findings evidently
showed that the youth especially those who live in
the slums are the most affected by the issue of
concern caused by initiators through the influence
of social dilemma.
• The age bracket shows how seriously the issue
needs to be looked at and deliberated on because
the initiators of drug/substance abuse thrive in this
which on the other hand leads to youth
destruction.
 Recommendations;

• Based upon the literature findings and the empirical

research, various recommendations on the current trend of
drug/substance abuse among school going youth and those
who have cleared the secondary school in selected slum
areas within Nairobi are proposed to help address this
issue.
• This acknowledges the initiatives on the ground both done
by the government and non-government organizations
ranging from policy making, implementation, enactment
and enforcement of laws, signatory with other nations on
drug abuse, advocacy by lobbying on this issue, awareness
campaigns, rehabilitation and training.
Suggestions for further Research;

• Drawing from the findings of the study and building on existing

research, I would suggest that, more studies be carried out to
address the following areas;
• There should be strategies imposed for human action, in the
church, in the community and in the state for easy tracking on the
culprits involved in this menace. More investigations are also
needed on the techniques used to address drug/substance abuse
among youth both in and out of school in Nairobi slums and other
parts in this country where this problem is persistent. The reasons
to this are because the methods used to address the issue/ problem
may differ according to different circumstances.
• Although the study has recommended a uniform policy making for
drug/substance abusers and anyone involved in drug deals, to
address this issue, we need more information on what should be in
a general policy to make it effective and efficient.
• All the commonly used drugs/ substances noted in this
study should be investigated to determine the extent
and frequency of their use among the youth and why.
• As a way of action plan, the current research should be
implemented by working with social leaders to bring
about social transformation for all.
• In addition, further research is needed to ascertain the
relationship between the policies and drug/substance
abuse among youth both in and out of school where it
would make it easier to plan and implement the policy.
• Implications of the contribution to the service of
everyone on the basis of situational analysis, field
research, contribution to knowledge and theories
of this problem should be considered.
• Finally, further research on factors influencing the
effectiveness of the information given on
drugs/substance abuse among the youth in and
out of school could also be necessary.
• Finally, as our way forward towards this issue, I
would suggest further research on factors
influencing the effectiveness of the information given
on drugs/substance abuse among the youth in the
selected informal settlements as carried in Nairobi,
and correlate it with other slums in other areas in our
country where this menace is seen as big for
sustainable eradication purposes of this problem for
now and the future, which I strongly and wholly
believe will lead to social transformation if we unite
and work as one for the total welfare of society.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AS WE WORK
TOGETHER AS A TEAM- “ME AND YOU”,
LET US FOCUS ON BUILDING THE YOUTH
AS THE PILLARS OF TOMORROW AND
MAKE THEM THE FUTURE SOCIAL
TRANSFORMERS FOR THIS NATION, OUR
COUNTRY KENYA FAR AND WIDE.
MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL ALWAYS.
END!