President William Ruto speaking during a media interview at State House in Mombasa on October 1, 2026/ PCSPresident William Ruto has announced plans to strengthen the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Anti-Narcotics Unit, including increasing its personnel and providing additional vehicles to help close routes used to smuggle drugs into Kenya.
Ruto said the government was enhancing the unit’s capacity to tackle the trafficking of heroin, cocaine and other drugs, with a focus on improving its personnel, training and logistical support.
Speaking during a media interview at State House in Mombasa, the President said the government was determined to seal gaps exploited by drug traffickers to bring narcotics into the country.
“We will fight to ensure that they do not enter our country,” Ruto said.
He said the government had already established a specialised anti-narcotics department within the DCI and was working to strengthen its operations.
“Our focus, and this is the instructions I gave last year, is we are strengthening the department, the Anti-Narcotics Unit in DCI to make sure that we increase personnel,” he said.
Ruto said some officers had undergone high-level training to improve their ability to investigate and disrupt drug trafficking networks.
He added that the government was also working to provide the unit with adequate transport and logistical resources.
The President said another 1,000 police vehicles were expected before December, with the anti-narcotics unit among those to receive additional support.
“We increase the personnel, we get the right personnel, and we increase their capacity and give them enough capacity in terms of transport and logistics to make sure that they can deal with the challenge of heroin, cocaine, and drugs in general, including the abuse of alcohol,” he said.
Ruto was responding to a question from a journalist, who asked how the government planned to tackle drug trafficking at the Coast and whether enforcement efforts would target major players in the trade instead of focusing mainly on low-level offenders.
The journalist also raised concerns about the availability of hard drugs in the region and asked what the government was doing to address the problem.
Beyond enforcement, Ruto said the government would work with families, religious leaders and communities to discourage young people from using drugs.
He said parents and religious leaders had a role to play alongside the government in addressing substance abuse.
“So society has to step in also,” he said.
Ruto said the fight against drugs and alcohol abuse required a collective effort, as the government sought to prevent drugs from entering the country and reduce their use among young people.
