THE CASE FOR A MORE EFFECTIVE APPROACH

The amount of narcotics seized at Kenya's key entry points in the past two
months is an indication of a malignant problem gradually destroying
society, but which authorities seem not to be taking seriously.

The merchants of death that are drug traffickers are placing Kenya on the
unenviable map of the family of nations notorious for the narcotics trade.
The deluge is so strong that it has swept away anti- drugs authorities.

A couple of weeks ago, a Kenyan-based foreigner was arrested with one of
the largest hauls of narcotics ever recovered. He died in custody in
inexplicable circumstances. It happened at a time when the public was
reeling from a court case involving an airline official charged with
trafficking in heroin.

These two are mere items in an unyielding catalogue of cases. Drug
consumption and trafficking is not a new phenomenon in Kenya. Indeed,
figures tell a worrying story. Over 20.7 tonnes of bhang and its
derivatives were seized in Kenya in 1999/2000, compared to 13.6 tonnes the
previous year. Also seized in 2000 were 28kgs of heroin and four kilos of
cocaine, the latter's figures having shot up from 0.11kgs in 1999.

Serious Problem With Heroin Abuse

Kenya "appears to have a serious problem of heroin abuse," the UN
International Drug Control Programme said in a report last year. "- the
abuse of other substances as well seems to be on the verge of escalation
due to deep-rooted economic and social problems that are exacerbated by the
country's political problem."

In an earlier report, The Drug Nexus in Africa, the UN agency said bhang
(cannabis) had become "a commercially significant crop produced for profit
on a large scale." It showed that, based on the amount of seizures, Kenya
was only third after Ethiopia and Nigeria as Africa's top countries in
heroin trafficking - and possibly consumption.

Even in developed countries with enough drug detection facilities, seizures
are translated to be a mere 30 per cent of the amount trafficked. It is
possible that in a country as ill-equipped to deal with the problem as
Kenya, the amount seized could be a negligible fraction of the quantity of
drugs consumed or trafficked within the country. What should now be
disturbing authorities is; why the sudden increase in the amount of
seizures. Is it that anti-narcotic units have become more active or is it
that traffickers have identified a loophole in the country's security
network? Both scenarios are possible. But the latter looks more plausible
given the nature of Kenya's ineffective security infrastructure.

It is possible also that the huge haul is an indication that traffickers
have become emboldened by a shift in policy by authorities, from narcotics
control to curbing terrorism and illegal immigrants.

Most of Kenya's drug busts are happening only at the airports. And yet.
Those familiar with trafficking routes are aware more drugs enter and exit
through land and sea border points.

Cannabis resin (popularly known as hashish locally) leaves Pakistan, docks
at the eastern African coast, where it is blended and packaged in Kenya,
before it goes down to southern Africa on its way to Australia, Europe and
North America. It enters Kenya through the Mombasa seaport or through the
Namanga border point, where it is ferried to Central Kenya and Nairobi for
blending and packaging.

Some bhang consumed locally is sourced in Tanzania and in Uganda and gets
in through Namanga, Isebania and Busia.

The morphine arm leaves Thailand and on reaching Mombasa, it forks into
two, one arm feeds the southern Africa market and the other traverses the
harsh terrain to west Africa enroute to Europe and the US.

Another conduit, which is used only occasionally, starts in the Arabian
peninsula, runs down the eastern African coast to southern Africa.

One thing is clear; drug trafficking and arms smuggling are convenient
bedfellows. Now sharing the same bed is "terrorism", and the three vices
have allied to produce a terrible crime mix the world is now united against.

What options does Kenya have?

Kenya's ratification of international instruments, such as the inherently
powerful UN Convention on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, has
hardly helped. In fact, authorities are torn right in the middle whether or
not to classify miraa as a narcotic.

All told, Kenya can ill-afford to remain in slumber. But what options do we
have?

Last year, I wrote an article in which exhorted authorities to set up an
elite Rapid Reaction Force that is able to track down lords of narcotics
and their hirelings.

This is more so because the industry has defied the latest legislation that
imposes high penalties on drug convicts. The 10-year jail penalty, a fine
of Sh1 million and repossession of wealth acquired through the illicit
business have hardly been deterrent enough.

Recall that to arrest poaching, Kenya revamped the Kenya Wildlife Service,
equipped it well and boosted morale of its staff. Ten years down the line,
poaching is almost negligible, save for snippets of elephant killings here
and there. Another force, stronger and more purposeful than the present
Anti-narcotics Squad, needs to be installed to tackle the menace.

Also, focus should be on the points of exit of the drugs. It is good to
catch drugs entering the country, but equally important is to direct
arsenal towards eradicating the illicit home-grown industry that feeds off
bhang plantations in Mt Kenya forests.