Nairobi: The Eastern and Southern Africa Commission on Drugs (ESACD) has held its Fourth High-Level Consultation Meeting and launched a crucial report, aiming to tackle the growing problem of illegal drug trade and use across East and Southern Africa with new, more effective strategies. The meeting highlighted a worrying increase in drug trafficking and use across the region, particularly in Kenya.

According to Kenya News Agency, presiding over the event, Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Interior and National Administration, Kipchumba Murkomen, stated that the drug problem is deeply linked with other serious crimes like human trafficking, funding for terrorism, corruption, and the spread of illegal weapons. Murkomen emphasized that no single nation can fight this problem alone, making regional cooperation vital. ‘Online platforms are increasingly used for drug sales, and synthetic drugs are now being made secretly within the region,’ revealed the CS. He called for a shift from harsh, punishment-focused policies to a more balanced approach that prioritizes health and human rights, ensuring treatment is available to everyone.

Concurrently, former South African President and ESACD Chairperson, Kgalema Motlanthe, commented on the severe lack of proper drug prevention and treatment services. ‘Synthetic drugs, which are easy for criminal groups to make anywhere, pose the biggest new challenge,’ he cautioned. Motlanthe urged better training for law enforcement to identify these new drugs and stop the flow of chemicals used to make them. The Chairperson also stressed the importance of governments, health services, and communities working together to prevent harm from drug use, including overdoses, and to share information. He called for a review of policies that imprison people just for using drugs, advocating for their release.

In attendance was the former Chief Justice of Kenya and an ESACD Commissioner, Dr. Willy Mutunga, who echoed these concerns, stating that past strategies of arrests and imprisonment have failed, leading to more drug users than ever. Dr. Mutunga argued that drug policies must be rewritten with human rights at their core, focusing on health needs rather than just punishment. ‘Current drug laws often hurt young people, who already face high unemployment, by giving them criminal records for minor offenses,’ he highlighted, stressing that civil society, including people who use drugs, must be part of creating and implementing new drug policies.

In her remarks, the Associate Scientific Director of CAPRISA and ESACD Commissioner Prof. Quarraisha Abdool Karim, reiterated the need for global teamwork and investment in strong systems to fight this challenge. She described how advanced digital tools are being used negatively and urged their use for positive change. Prof. Karim underscored the critical need for better information and tracking of drug markets, including knowing what drugs are circulating and how they are sold, to create targeted responses. ‘Africa’s large youth population is particularly vulnerable to drug use and lacks sufficient access to treatment,’ she pointed out, calling for the changing of laws to decriminalize drug use and reduce prison rates, along with providing essential mental health and infectious disease support.

Meanwhile, former Mauritian President and ESACD Commissioner, Cassam Uteem, underlined the desperate need for reliable data on drug markets in Africa. According to the Commissioner, without basic information like how many people use drugs, what types, and how often, it is impossible to create effective national plans. ‘The region is a major transit point for illegal drugs, and a huge amount goes undetected,’ noted Uteem, indicating that the rise of synthetic drugs is linked to chemicals legally traded but then illegally diverted. He suggested that better data is essential for understanding the problem and measuring whether current policies are working.