Mombasa carwashers angered by dope business

DRUGS

JANUARY 19, 2010

BY EUGENE OMILO

An association in the Mombasa CBD has appealed to the government to crack down on drug users and peddlers within the town who are now threatening their business.

A dozen car washers allied to a group called Vision Downtown self help group   yesterday said the drug users have now formed a habit of stealing car parts from cars parked at the Makadara grounds parking yard managed by the municipal council.

“We have found several of them attempting to steal side mirrors from our client’s cars, and them the blame becomes ours,” said Vincent Ngamia the groups’ chairman.

The youths, drawn from nearby areas including Mwembe Tayari, Sarogoi and Kibokoni have on a regular basis been seen frequenting a public toilet also run by the council near the parking yard where they allegedly buy the drugs from peddlers posing as garbage collectors.

According to sources who spoke to yours truly on condition of anonymity, the price of one sachet of heroine has gone down from Sh 200 to between Sh 150 and Sh 100 thereby explaining the increase of users.

This means two youngsters with as little as Sh 50 can team up to buy a sachet.  

Those dominating are street children and youths from the nearby Kibokoni area in Old Town who turn to stealing to get money to buy more drugs.

The users have also devised a new means of taking the drug by rolling it with a cigarette before smoking the concoction at times even in public. 

“Our request is that the police deal with the big fish who are importers because if the price of heroin starts to go down then it means the supply too is high,” said Ngamia.

Reports from the National Campaign on Drugs and Aids also indicate that the use of heroine has ardently increased within Mombasa.

ENDS.