By Our Correspondent
Observers have questioned President William Ruto’s renewed and spirited campaign against drugs and substance abuse, coming just hours after the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by the United States to face multiple federal charges, including drug- and weapons-related offences.
President Ruto, speaking on Saturday, January 3, during a wedding ceremony in Kimumu, Uasin Gishu County, said the government was working on legislation to classify drug and substance abuse offences as capital crimes, barely 8 hours after the capture of Maduro.
The proposal marks what would be the most far-reaching policy shift yet in the government’s campaign against alcohol and substance abuse. In his New Year address, President Ruto also announced a renewed crackdown on illicit brews and drug abuse across the country.
However, counsellor and human rights activist Dr Isaac Newton Kinity said the President had remained silent for years as drugs devastated communities and Kenya became what he described as a “highway for drugs trafficking,” only to adopt a hardline stance following Maduro’s capture.
“Is President Ruto trying to fool President Donald Trump? Does he think that President Trump would give in to such tricks and simple games he has been playing to Kenyans? Kenya is not new to the USA,” he stated, questioning both the timing and intensity of the renewed campaign.
Under the proposed law, the sale of hard drugs such as heroin and cocaine would be classified as a capital offence. President Ruto said the changes were intended to replace what he termed lenient penalties under the current legal framework, where traffickers can be fined as little as Sh1 million.
He accused drug traffickers of fueling addiction among young people for profit while shielding their own families from the harm caused by drugs, describing the practice as morally indefensible and a direct threat to the country’s future.
At the same time, Dr Kinity, who is also chairman of the Kikimo Foundation for Corruption and Poverty Eradication, criticised President Ruto and the Kenya Kwanza administration for what he termed knee-jerk constitutional reviews driven by political expediency.
“With or without the hanging act, nothing would change in Kenya with the current crop of leaders in power. The current constitution and the laws in Kenya are enough and capable of protecting the nation, its people, and their properties,” he said in a scathing statement to newsrooms.
He argued that Kenya’s challenges do not arise from flaws in the law or the Constitution, but from leaders who abuse power, violate the Constitution, and lead others in drug trafficking and the looting of public funds with impunity, shielded from arrest.
The National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (Nacada) has welcomed President Ruto’s New Year’s address, which placed alcohol and drug abuse at the forefront of Kenya’s national agenda for 2026.
In a statement released, NACADA Board chairperson Stephen Mairori said the authority fully supports the President’s strong stance and reiterated its commitment to working with the government to rid Kenya of the harms associated with substance abuse.
“Through stronger policy measures, coordinated action, and sustained collaboration across government agencies and stakeholders, NACADA remains resolute in safeguarding the well-being of all Kenyans,” the board chair said.