Garissa: Hundreds of Grade 10 and Form One students benefiting from this year’s Elimu Scholarship Programme have been urged to shun drug and substance abuse and negative peer pressure that could derail their education and future. The learners were also encouraged to seek guidance and assistance whenever they encounter challenges instead of turning to drugs or associating with people who could negatively influence their lives.
According to Kenya News Agency, during a one-day Jomo Kenyatta Foundation (JKF) Annual Achievers Summit held at Garissa High School, JKF Garissa County Coordinator Nelson Oloo urged the scholars to set clear goals, maintain good character, and make responsible decisions. Oloo emphasized that the mentorship programme was designed to equip the learners with skills and values necessary for academic excellence, career development, leadership, resilience, and responsible decision-making.
Oloo highlighted the importance of mentorship and interaction with facilitators, stating, “Through mentorship and interaction with facilitators, we are equipping our scholars with skills in academic excellence, career development, leadership, character formation, resilience, goal setting, responsible decision-making, and personal responsibility.” He also stressed the dangers of drug and substance abuse, which could undermine young people’s education, health, relationships, and future prospects.
“We have also emphasized the dangers of drug and substance abuse, which can undermine a young person’s education, health, relationships, and future. We are encouraging our scholars to make informed choices, resist negative peer pressure, and seek help when they encounter challenges,” Oloo added. He urged the scholars to remain focused on their studies and make use of the support available to them whenever they faced difficulties.
Chairperson of the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (SUPKEM) Sheikh Hassan Abdi noted that drug abuse remained a significant challenge among young people in Garissa and the wider North Eastern region. He challenged the learners to become role models and help reverse the trend by avoiding drugs and encouraging their peers to make positive choices. Sheikh Hassan pointed out that drug abuse was prohibited in Islam, as the Holy Quran forbids practices that interfere with an individual’s well-being and ability to make sound decisions.
“The problem we have in Garissa town and the larger North Eastern region, which is inhabited by Muslims, is our youth who are abusing drugs. Anything that changes your good deeds or interferes with your mind is haram,” he explained. He warned that drug abuse was affecting students’ concentration and contributing to school absenteeism, urging the scholars to remain focused on their education. “Most learners are not going to school due to the use of drugs, and when they go, their concentration in class is limited. We want you to be the role models, avoid drugs, and study hard so that you may achieve your dreams,” he added.
Korakora Assistant County Commissioner Paul Omondi similarly cautioned the learners against experimenting with drugs, highlighting that peer pressure, social media influence, and curiosity could expose young people to harmful behavior. He urged students to resist friends who encourage them to experiment with drugs and instead seek support from teachers, parents, mentors, and other trusted adults. “As a young person, you will and may encounter many forms of pressure, either from friends, social media, or curiosity. You will have friends telling you, ‘Just try; it does not harm.’ I talk to you as my young brothers and sisters; please do not engage yourselves in drugs,” Omondi said. He noted that drug abuse had resulted in lost lives and shattered the dreams of promising young people, urging the scholars to protect their future by making responsible choices.
