Report reveals surge in synthetic drug abuse

A report by NACADA has revealed a growing rate of uptake of synthetic drugs. [File Courtesy]

There is an alarming growing rate of uptake of synthetic drugs and emerging psychoactive substances in Kenya, a report by the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) has revealed.

According to the report released on Thursday, laboratory analyses of wastewater identified compounds linked to stimulants, opioids, psychedelics, prescription drugs and New Psychoactive Substances (NPS), pointing to widespread abuse of both conventional and synthetic drugs.

Among the substances detected were cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA/ecstasy, amphetamines, amitriptyline, diazepam, synthetic cathinones, khat and tryptamine-based psychedelics such as psilocybin and DMT. 

Researchers also confirmed the existence of emerging psychoactive substances, including alpha-ethyltryptamine and benzofurans.

The analyses further revealed evidence of small-scale clandestine laboratory activity linked to the possible local production of synthetic stimulants, particularly methamphetamine, MDMA and synthetic cathinones.

Speaking during the launch, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the findings vindicated recent data by the United Nations Office on the Drug of Crime, indicating that synthetic drugs now dominate drug markets in East Africa.

According to the UN report released last year, caesium, methamphetamine, and methyl analogues have risen in the region by over 300 per cent in the last five years. 

This, the CS said, revealed a worrying shift from traditional drugs such as cannabis and heroin to synthetic stimulants and chemically engineered narcotics that are more potent and difficult to detect.

“Kenya, by virtue of its strategic position as a regional transport, financial and logistics hub, is not insulated from these threats,” said Murkomen.

“On the contrary, we are witnessing a clear transition from traditional narcotics such as cannabis and heroin to synthetic drugs and new psychoactive substances, chemical compounds that are more potent, less predictable and harder to detect using conventional methods," he added. 

The study, which employed wastewater-based epidemiology, analysed chemical traces from sewage systems to establish patterns of drug use across communities living in Kenya's five cities of Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru and Eldoret. 

Murkomen termed the findings “both illuminating and deeply concerning”, saying the presence of synthetic cannabinoids and dangerous adulterants mixed into heroin and cocaine significantly heightened the risk of overdose and death.

“Substances such as ketamine and diazepam have been detected mixed with heroin and cocaine, significantly increasing the risk of overdose, long-term health complications, organ failure and in some cases death,” he said.

The wastewater analysis also established extensive polydrug use patterns among users.

Commonly reported combinations included heroin and diazepam, heroin and cannabis, cannabis and tramadol, methadone and cannabis, alcohol and codeine, as well as khat mixed with trihexyphenidyl and alcohol.

Researchers found that cocaine and heroin samples were frequently adulterated with substances such as caffeine, dextromethorphan, ketamine, levamisole, diazepam and chloroquine, an indication of impure street drugs and unsafe drug preparation practices.

Murkomen noted that Kenya had now joined countries such as China, Brazil and South Africa in adopting wastewater analysis as a modern drug surveillance tool capable of detecting emerging threats in near real-time.

The CS linked the findings to recent anti-narcotics operations, including the September 2024 raid on a suspected clandestine methamphetamine laboratory in Namanga, saying the discoveries confirmed fears that organised syndicates were increasingly establishing local drug production networks.

“This is a stark warning. Kenya is no longer at risk of being merely a transit route for drugs from Asia and the Middle East to Europe and North America. We face the real danger of becoming both a production and consumption hub if decisive action is not taken immediately,” he warned.

In response, the government announced plans to institutionalise wastewater-based epidemiology as a national drug surveillance and early warning system, strengthen the Government Chemist through investment in advanced analytical technology, and intensify intelligence-led policing targeting drug manufacturers and trafficking networks.

Murkomen said the government would also tighten regulation of precursor chemicals and pharmaceutical products to prevent diversion into illicit drug manufacturing.

Nacada Board chairman Stephen Mairori urged collaboration among stakeholders to curtail the menace. 

"Drug and substance abuse is multi-dimensional. It demands a coordinated, all-of-government, and all-of-society response," he said.