The closed facility in Murang'a/NACADA
The National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) has issued closure notices to two rehabilitation facilities in Murang’a County following a multi-agency inspection that uncovered serious regulatory, hygiene and human rights violations.
The inspection was conducted jointly with the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) and the Department of Public Health.
The team found that one of the facilities was operating without a KMPDC licence or any other regulatory approval.
The facility was also carrying out construction work while clients remained on the premises. Inspectors found that it lacked professional personnel and had poor hygiene conditions.
The inspection further established that a cook at the facility was working without a food handler’s medical certificate.
Three clients were at the facility during the inspection. The director was given three days to organise their transfer to other rehabilitation facilities.
At the second facility, inspectors found that none of the recommendations made during an earlier inspection had been implemented.
The facility was operating without a KMPDC licence and had poor hygiene and sanitary conditions. It was also overcrowded, with some clients sleeping on the floor.
Two underage boys, aged 16 and 17, were found at the facility. NACADA escalated the matter to the Children’s Office.
Inspectors also found a cell located on an open veranda where clients with discipline issues were locked up.
According to the inspection findings, the clients were made to sleep on the floor and forced to urinate in a bucket for a month.
Clients also alleged that they had been assaulted by staff. They further claimed they had been abducted and handcuffed from their homes before being taken to the facility.
KMPDC issued a closure notice to the second facility.
Both facilities were given three days to arrange for the transfer or discharge of their clients. NACADA said it will conduct a follow-up visit to confirm compliance with the closure orders.
Speaking on the development, NACADA Chief Executive Officer Dr Anthony Omerikwa stressed the importance of rehabilitation centres operating within acceptable standards.
“As the Authority rolls out a comprehensive community-based rehabilitation program to support persons in substance use recovery, it is paramount that rehabilitation centres play their rightful role of being centres of wellness and recovery as a way of supporting the government's efforts,” Omerikwa said.
He added: “Facilities that operate outside the law, endanger clients, or subject them to inhumane treatment have no place in our rehabilitation ecosystem.”
The inspection comes as NACADA seeks to strengthen rehabilitation services and protect people seeking treatment for substance use disorders.
The Authority said rehabilitation services should be safe, professional and dignified, with vulnerable persons protected from exploitation and abuse.
