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.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. 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.KMPDC issued a closure notice to SMECC Rehab, and both facilities were given three days to arrange for the transfer or discharge of their clients. NACADA will conduct a follow-up visit to confirm compliance with the closure orders.Speaking on the development, NACADA Chief Executive Officer Dr. Anthony Omerikwa emphasized the critical importance of rehabilitation centres operating to acceptable standards.“As the Authority rolls out a comprehensive community-based rehabilitation program to support persons in substance use recovery, it is paramount that rehabilitation centres play their rightful role of being centres of wellness and recovery as a way of supporting the government’s efforts,” Dr. Omerikwa stated. “Facilities that operate outside the law, endanger clients, or subject them to inhumane treatment have no place in our rehabilitation ecosystem.”The closure of these two facilities underscores NACADA’s commitment to ensuring that rehabilitation services in Kenya are safe, professional, and dignified, and that vulnerable persons seeking treatment are protected from exploitation and abuse.