The National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) has closed two rehabilitation facilities in Murang'a County, Kenya, after a multi-agency inspection uncovered serious regulatory, hygiene, and human rights violations. The inspection, conducted jointly with the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) and the Department of Public Health, found that one facility was operating without a KMPDC licence or any other regulatory approval.
The first facility was found to be carrying out construction work while clients remained on the premises, and it lacked professional personnel and had poor hygiene conditions. A cook at the facility was working without a food handler's medical certificate. During the inspection, three clients were present at the facility. The director was given three days to organise their transfer to other rehabilitation facilities.
The second facility was also found to be operating without a KMPDC licence and had poor hygiene and sanitary conditions. It was overcrowded, with some clients sleeping on the floor. Two underage boys, aged 16 and 17, were found at the facility, prompting NACADA to escalate the matter to the Children's Office.
Inspectors at the second facility discovered a cell located on an open veranda where clients with discipline issues were locked up. Clients reported being made to sleep on the floor and forced to urinate in a bucket for a month. They also alleged that they had been assaulted by staff and abducted and handcuffed from their homes before being taken to the facility.
KMPDC issued a closure notice to the second facility, and both facilities were given three days to arrange for the transfer or discharge of their clients. NACADA has announced that it will conduct a follow-up visit to confirm compliance with the closure orders.
NACADA Chief Executive Officer Dr Anthony Omerikwa emphasized the importance of rehabilitation centres operating within acceptable standards. He stated that facilities that operate outside the law, endanger clients, or subject them to inhumane treatment have no place in the rehabilitation ecosystem.
The inspection is part of NACADA's efforts to strengthen rehabilitation services and protect people seeking treatment for substance use disorders. The Authority stressed that rehabilitation services should be safe, professional, and dignified, with vulnerable persons protected from exploitation and abuse.
Key points
- NACADA closed two rehab centres in Murang'a County due to licence, hygiene, and human rights violations.
- The facilities were found to have poor conditions, including overcrowding, and subjected clients to inhumane treatment.
- NACADA will conduct a follow-up visit to confirm compliance with the closure orders.
