The Chief of Staff and the Head of Public Service Felix Koskei has asked the National Government Administration Officers (NGAOs) to step up the fight against alcohol and drug abuse in the country. Koskei noted that alcoholism and drug abuse had risen to unprecedented levels, robbing the country of a youthful generation, whose knowledge and skills would help spur development. ‘Drug and alcohol abuse has become a menace. Many youths have become zombies. Chiefs, assistant chiefs, assistant county commissioners, deputy county commissioners, Members of the County Assembly, governors and all other leaders should unite to fight the vice. We should not relent or surrender in this fight,’ he said. Speaking at Machakos University, when he launched the Last Mile County Connectivity Project (LMCCP), the Head of Public Service said all those found involving themselves in the manufacturing and selling of illicit brews or peddling of drugs should be arrested and prosecuted to curb the menace. He noted that peddlers had devised unscrupulous ways of selling drugs, without necessarily raising suspicions and asked NGAOs to be on high alert. ‘Some of the cigarettes being sold around are not the normal cigarettes we know, some of the rolls are actually cannabis sativa packaged as cigarettes, while other unscrupulous individuals are brewing poison in the name of alcohol,’ added the Head of Public Service. On corruption, Koskei reiterated the government’s commitment to making the country corruption-free and asked Kenyans to desist from soliciting and giving bribes. ‘We must stop corruption in government offices, police stations, county government offices and even in the markets. We must all join hands to win the war against corruption,’ he said. At the same time, the Chief of Staff issued a stern warning to civil servants engaged in corrupt practices that their days were numbered. ‘We can’t painfully pay taxes and then turn around to steal the same taxes. This must stop forthwith to allow development activities to take place across the country,’ noted Koskei. On the upcoming countrywide tree planting exercise scheduled for Monday, Koskei asked Kenyans to take advantage of the public holiday and grow trees to mitigate climate change. ‘Monday is a working holiday. All cabinet secretaries have been assigned to supervise tree-planting exercises across the country. Let us come out in large numbers to plant trees,’ he said.
Source: Kenya News Agency