Heroin addiction crisis in Kenya: A growing challenge

Heroin addiction is destroying lives in Kenya, a country that has transitioned from being a mere transit route for illicit drugs to a significant destination market.

The drug, which once only passed through Kenya on its way to Europe and America, is now increasingly being sold within the country, especially along its coastal regions, where addiction is rampant.

On the island of Lamu, just off the Kenyan coast, a group of five men huddle in a ruined building. Among them is Mohamed Tai, a heroin user, who speaks openly about the grip of his addiction.

“It is a very bad addiction, but it is ignored by the community, government, and other organisations which think it is the will of the person to continue using. But it is small reasons that drive you to start using,” Tai explains. “It puts you in a trance, and you don’t understand yourself. Time flies, and you are just there. You don’t think.”

Kenya’s battle with heroin addiction stems from its geographical location along what experts call the "Southern Route."

“We have what we call the southern route, and this is the longer route from heroin production fields in Afghanistan,” says Boniface Wilunda, Programme Management Officer at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). “Traffickers traffic heroin from Afghanistan, through the East Coast into the Indian Ocean, all the way down to Southern Africa, and then through the West Coast of Africa as they try to reach markets in the Americas and Europe.”

Wilunda notes that Kenya was once seen purely as a transit region, but remnants of the drugs now stay behind, fueling a growing local market.

A Public Health Crisis

Data from UNODC’s most recent figures in 2019 estimate that there are about 27,000 heroin users in Kenya. With a hit costing as little as Ksh200 ($2), heroin use is spreading, particularly along the coast.

In Lamu, addiction has become a significant public health issue. King Fahd Hospital has established a methadone clinic to help addicts wean off heroin.

“It is a very big challenge to us, and we have tried several means to combat the use of drugs, so we started to have the methadone clinic,” says Aziza Shee Mubarak, a clinical officer at the hospital.

Methadone has been a lifeline for recovering addicts like Bui Kitaa, who recalls the devastating impact addiction had on his life.

“Addiction was very bad on me. I did not have any friends; my brothers at home and even strangers on the road could not trust me. Nobody would hire me,” Kitaa says. “But since I started using methadone four years ago, it has helped me a lot.”

UNODC estimates that around 22 tonnes of heroin move through the East African coast annually, with about 2.5 tonnes worth approximately $160 million destined for Kenya’s local market.