Desperate Measures: Kenyan Female Youth Turn to Drugs Amidst Poverty and Lack of Jobs

In Nairobi's informal settlements, hundreds of female youth are turning to drugs to cope with the harsh realities of poverty and unemployment. The women, mostly between the ages of 18 and 30, are using heroine, bhang, Rohypnol, and glue to escape their difficulties. According to reports by the Kenyan government and United Nations agencies, women are being used as peddlers to ferry drugs to various destinations within and outside the country.

Key Takeaways:

• Anita Mburu, a 26-year-old mother of two, has been using drugs for the past two years, sniffing "thinner" (a chemical used to dilute varnish) every day to reduce stress and forget her problems.
• Mburu spends her days on the streets of Nairobi, begging from pedestrians to make ends meet, earning between $2 and $4 on a good day.
• Margaret Kioko, a 23-year-old who lives in Mathare, a slum district in Nairobi, smokes bhang and heroine daily to forget her difficulties, earning $0.7 per day from peddlers.
• Kioko suffers from anaemia due to malnutrition, caused by her inability to eat a proper diet and prioritize food over drugs.
• Dr. Simon Kairu, a doctor who attended to the women during a recent health camp in Korogocho, attributes the rise of drug abuse among women in the area to peer influence, desperation, and lack of jobs.
• Most of the young women taking drugs have children who add to their burden, making it a silent crisis that may explode if left unaddressed.

Statistics:

• The price of a 50ml bottle of "thinner" in Nairobi's slums is $0.2.
• The price of a 50ml bottle of bhang in Nairobi's slums is $0.1.
• Anita Mburu sniffs up to four 50ml bottles of thinner per day.
• Margaret Kioko smokes bhang and heroine daily, earning $0.7 per day.
• Between $2 and $4 is the average amount made by Mburu on a good day.
• The number of people living in Korogocho, an informal settlement in Nairobi, is approximately 150,000.

Sources:

• Bedah Mengo, "Desperate Times," Xinhua, November 23, 2011.
• Anita Mburu and Margaret Kioko, personal statements, as quoted in "Desperate Times."
• Dr. Simon Kairu, "Health Camp in Korogocho," Xinhua, November 23, 2011.