While
90% of drug users in Kenya are male, there lies an undergrowth of young women -as young as 14 years-addicted to hard drugs. As I found out speaking to three women from Kisauni,Mombasa, life under the influence is twice as hard for a female than a male. Their sad accounts tell of wounded souls -robbed of the natural gift of care, motherhood
and family.
One day while wasting away in prison following a
police sweep, I told myself if you don’t stop this SD, you are going to hell,” SD recalled.
“I have been using cocaine and heroin for 15
years since i was 14,when i ran away from home to the city. I took drugs to
forget my problems. I had no money, food nor shelter. I would sleep at an
abandoned building together with other street children, there smoking bhang, cocaine
and heroin was the only recreational activity we had.
"Months later" She
went on to say, "i met a white man and
moved to Ukunda hoping to leave everything behind and start a new life, but the
addiction came with me. My dependency was so high that I sold almost all our
property to buy drugs when my boyfriend was out of the country, eventually he
left me. Right now I have nothing except the clothes I have on me”, explained the 28 year old
gesturing at her clothes.
“Heroine is expensive. An eighth of a tea
spoon goes for Ksh 200 and a regular addict needs at least 4 fixes in a day. I
had no choice but to do anything in my power to get a dosage.” she continued.
Chichi 32, also a recovering addict, recounts how she
dropped out of school the second day she sniffed cocaine. “i started using bhang in primary school then later on
a boyfriend who has since passed away, introduced me to heroine. At the time it
felt wonderful, one shot would take you to the high heavens. With time i
started craving for more dosage, i higher fix. I stopped school because i could
not concentrate anymore; all I thought of was where I was going to get money
for my next fix”.
As her life in drugs grew geometrically, Chichi ran
free to do anything to get her fixes. “I could do anything for drugs, including stealing
money and property from my parents and neighbours’.” Chichi
actions led to rejection by her family. "My own mother told me to go die in the streets
like a dog-that i was better off 6 feet under, she had had enough of me."
She was told never to be home until she was off drugs. “I hope I will be able to go back home someday,”
Amina, a college graduate brings a reality of Kenyans skilled
workforce enslaved to drug addiction. “I smoked bhang with my classmates after school.
Slowly and steadily, we began taking heroine. I ran away from home to the
streets when my parents discovered the new me. I also feared the idea of being
taken to a rehabilitation centre; I was scared for my image. In the streets I
had to sometimes sell sex to get money for my fixes”, it was terrible said the 26 year
old.
According to the three, there are many female drug
addicts out there especially from Kisauni region of Mombasa, they want a
way out, but the will power and support to take that grand step to get away
from drugs.
The turning point…
One fact is clear, the trio desired to rebuild their
lives. I saw a self-driven action point…I wonder how many can do that out
there. I quickly learnt that they had been exposed to information and
one-on-one messaging through outreach activities. These activities cut across
community mobilization through magnet theatre, and counselling and testing.
Chichi, SD and Amina narrate how they
begged MEWA rehabilitation centre to take them in after
outreach workers from the center visited them in prison under the Narcotic
anonymous program. The center provides detoxification services, food and
shelter for both female and male recovering addicts.
“Drugs are everywhere today. Earlier, you had to go
up to Mtwapa and Ukunda to get some. I am not sure if we can stop it from
getting into our country. I beacon the government and well-wishers
to continue with awareness creation on effects of drug abuse and establish
more free rehabilitation centre’s Believe me, many addicts
want to change but cannot afford the services,” said
SD.
As i leave ,i advice the three who have been
complaining throughout the interview of being broke and having no source of
income to start a female support group for addicts with a vision of
awareness creation, behaviour change and support to female addicts still
enslaved to drugs.
We will call it "Women out of drugs" yells SD
I hope they do.
Note: names have been changed to protect identities
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