Pupils as young as four years old are abusing drugs, according to the latest report by the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (Nacada).
The survey conducted last year and published in June singles out shops around schools as the main sources of the drugs and substances abused, at 28 per cent.
At least 3,307 pupils from 177 primary schools across 25 counties were surveyed.
SEE ALSO :Mututho faults Treasury for hiking alcohol pricesAt least 25 per cent of the drugs originate from bars near schools, says the report dubbed, “Status of drugs and substance abuse among primary school pupils in Kenya”.
Friends provide about 19 per cent of the drugs, while school workers 13.6 per cent. Nacada says it is planning sensitisation to curb the menace.
Alcohol is the most abused of the substances. The end results, the report says, are dropping out of school and poor academic performance.
A Nacada official yesterday said the agency was shocked by the findings and set in motion a multi-agency campaign against drug abuse in schools. The campaign includes the Ministry of Education and security agencies.
“From the data, the average median age of onset of at least one drug or substance abuse was 11 years while the lowest reported age of onset was four years,” the report says.
SEE ALSO :Kindergarten kids hooked on drugs – NacadaAccording to the survey, 20.2 per cent of primary school pupils have used at least one drug or banned substance in their lifetime.
It also found that drug abuse among learners in primary school has resulted in a rising number of school dropouts and repetition of classes by pupils across several counties.
Alcohol was the most abused drug at 7.2 per cent, followed by tobacco, miraa and marijuana at 6.0, 3.7 and 1.2 per cent respectively.
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NacadaNational Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse
