NAIROBI, Kenya Apr 10 – A parliamentary committee has put security agencies and regulators on the spot over what it termed glaring gaps in the fight against alcohol and drug abuse with lawmakers accusing sections of the police of abetting the vice.The concerns emerged during a meeting of the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA), and the Anti-Narcotics Unit (ANU) to discuss the national campaign against substance abuse.MPs who sit in the committee warned that the country risks losing a generation of young people to substance abuse unless urgent action is taken.Led by Saku MP Dido Ali Rasso, who chaired the committee session questioned the legal foundation of ongoing interventions warning that policies not approved by Parliament lack the force of law.“Is this a national property owned by Parliament? Because in the absence of it being owned by Parliament, then it is not out there. You cannot enforce it,” he said. “In the absence of law, then you cannot effectively undertake the fight against alcohol and drug abuse.”Kisumu West MP Rosa Buyu echoed the concerns describing the police as the “number one enablers and beneficiaries” of the illicit trade.“All the strategies we are discussing will not work because the problem starts and ends with the police,” she said.“Even when illicit alcohol is confiscated, by morning it is gone, yet it was under police control.”Nakuru Woman Representative Elizabeth Chelule faulted the agencies for failing to acknowledge internal complicity in their reports and demanded clearer community-level interventions.“Women are suffering. Children are being killed and raped, and this is driven by people under the influence of drugs and alcohol,” she said. “What exactly are you doing at the community level?”In response, DCI Director Mohamed Amin highlighted the challenge of cross-border trafficking, noting that drug networks operate across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia, necessitating intelligence sharing and stronger regional cooperation.NACADA Chief Executive Officer Dr Anthony Omerikwa acknowledged policy and legislative gaps, revealing that a national policy guiding alcohol and drug control has yet to be anchored in law.“We stand guided. We will ensure it gets legitimacy and the force of law,” he said, attributing delays to technical and drafting challenges rather than Parliament.He added that young people, particularly university students, are the most affected, with research showing higher-than-average consumption rates among learners.The committee now wants a harmonised legal framework, stronger oversight of law enforcement and enhanced collaboration between agencies to curb what MPs described as a fast-growing national crisis.