NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 22 – The National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA), in collaboration with the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) and the Department of Public Health, has issued closure notices to two rehabilitation facilities in Murang’a County following a multi-agency compliance inspection that uncovered serious regulatory and human rights violations.

📻 Breaking It Down

The inspections, conducted at Listening Heart Wellness Centre in Gatanga Sub County and SMECC Rehab in Murang’a County, revealed alarming conditions that endangered the safety and dignity of clients seeking treatment for substance use disorders.

At Listening Heart Wellness Centre, the facility was found operating without a KMPDC license or any other regulatory approval.

It was also undertaking construction works while clients remained on the premises, lacked professional personnel, and maintained poor hygiene conditions, including a cook working without a food handler’s medical certificate.

📌 What You Need to Know

Three clients were present, and the director was granted a three-day grace period to organize their transfer to other rehabilitation facilities.

At SMECC Rehab, the team found that none of the previous inspection recommendations had been implemented.

The facility was operating without a KMPDC license, had very poor hygiene and sanitary conditions, and was overcrowded, with some clients sleeping on the floor.

Two underage boys, aged 16 and 17, were admitted at the facility, prompting NACADA to escalate the matter to the Children’s Office.

Most disturbingly, inspectors found a cell in an open veranda where clients with discipline issues were locked up, made to sleep on the floor, and forced to urinate in a bucket for a month.

Clients also alleged assault by staff and claimed they had been abducted and handcuffed from their homes before being brought to the facility.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya