A recent survey conducted by Nacada indicates that there has been a 90% increase in bhang consumption in the past five years in Kenya.
The national survey titled “Status of Drugs and Substance Use (DSU) in Kenya, 2022,” released on Monday, sheds light on a worrying statistic: approximately one in every 53 Kenyans between the ages of 15 to 65, amounting to an estimated 518,807 individuals, is presently using cannabis.
Breaking down the demographics further, the survey indicates that one in every 26 cannabis users is male (475,770), while one in every 333 is female (43,037).
The data reveals that Nairobi leads in cannabis consumption, with a prevalence rate of 6.3%, followed by Nyanza (2.4%) and Coast (1.9%).
Among the list of the most abused substances in the country, cannabis ranks fourth, trailing behind Khat (Miraa), tobacco, and alcohol, which tops the list.
Taking into account the same age group of 15-65 years, approximately 3,199,119 people were found to be alcohol consumers, with a significant concentration in Western Kenya.
The survey also pinpointed Nairobi as having the highest prevalence of legal alcohol consumption at 10.3%, closely trailed by Central at 10.0% and Eastern at 8.4%.
Regional disparities emerged as the usage of chang’aa (a local brew) and traditional liquors was most prominent in the Western region, while potable spirits dominated in the Central region.
Tobacco usage was reported in about 2,305,929 individuals nationwide, with the majority located in Central Kenya.
Miraa, or Khat, chewers were most prevalent in the Eastern region, with a nationwide count of 964,737 individuals.
The comprehensive survey covered selected clusters across the nation and involved sampling individuals aged 15 to 65 years. The sample was drawn from the Kenya Household Master Sample Frame (K-HMSF) maintained by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).
Nacada emphasized that this survey serves as a follow-up to the 2007, 2012, and 2017 five-year surveys on DSU.
It functions as an evaluation tool, assessing the effectiveness of programs aimed at reducing drug and substance use, both in terms of demand and supply, implemented over the last five years.
