The National Agency for the Campaign Against Drug Abuse (NACADA) 2017 Rapid Situation Assessment survey on drugs and substance abuse report and Kiambu is not even in the top 5
Key determinants of alcohol-related harm are the volume of the drink consumed and the pattern of consumption.
Nairobi hit hardest
Nairobi region was reported to harbour the highest prevalence of alcohol abusers, with a staggering 18.4% percentage. This translates to almost a fifth of the population, implying one in every five individuals within the region is an alcoholic.
Western region was recorded as having the second highest number of alcohol abusers, registered as 13.1% of the population.
An upsurge in alcohol abuse in the rural areas has been attributed to devolution and the consequent creation of jobs in such areas.
Rift Valley was ranked third with 10.7% of its population reported as suffering from alcoholism.
Eastern region 10.6%, Nyanza 9.6%, Coast 8.7%, and Central 8.3% filling up the rest of the top seven respectively.
The notable decline of alcohol abuse within Central Kenya has been linked to Kiambu governor Ferdinand Waititu’s war against the same.
In addition, data recently made public by the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) disclosed that the health insurer had spent Ksh65.3 million during the 2017/2018 as payment for the treatment of 685 patients suffering from drug and substance abuse.
Despite the prevalence of other drugs such as heroin and tobacco, alcohol abuse was reported to contribute to the highest burden of substance use disorders.
A 2018 World Health Organisation (WHO) report stated that four out of every 100 people who lost their lives in Kenya in 2016 was as a result of alcohol abuse.