NACADA Points Out Serious Shortcomings Existing in Kenyan Rehabilitation Industry as New Audit Shows Unhealthy and Unbudgeted for Facilities
The National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) has presented a worrying trend of the addiction rehabilitation industry in Kenya, with serious shortfalls in the availability and standard of alcohol and drug treatment services in the country.
In a statement dated January 15, 2026, NACADA reported that these results were derived from a nationwide survey conducted in November 2025 in terms of the Rapid Results Initiative (RRI) to determine Kenya’s ability to treat people with alcohol and drug addiction.
The inspection involved a team of government agencies and focused on a total of 236 treatment and rehabilitation centers spread over a total of 36 Counties. Among these, a total of only 135 have been fully accredited and offer a combined total of close to 3,800 residential beds for patient treatment.
Dr. Anthony Omerikwa, the Chief Executive Officer of NACADA, explained that the current accredited centres represent the backbone of the response of the country to addiction treatment. He did admit that despite this status, it is a worrying situation.
During the inspection, some facilities were found to have gross violations, resulting in 30 of the centers being refused accreditation altogether. Out of these, 15 were forced to shut down instantly for having conditions that threatened the safety of the clients directly. Such conditions included the use of outdated medication, poor hygiene practices, unsafe structures, and the lack of qualified health staff.
In addition, 56 others were indicated for not attaining major compliance elements and placed under strict surveillance with the relevant authorities calling for urgent remedial measures.
However, apart from individual institutions, major systemic issues within the rehabilitation sector were also noted in the report. NACADA reported that most of the accredited centers were privately owned and that quality care was therefore not affordable to many people.
The Authority is also raising concerns over the shortages of outpatient services, community-based care, and a lack of specialized woman and adolescent rehabilitation programs due to specific challenges they may have when accessing care.
Based on data gathered by NACADA’s last national survey, over 1.3 million Kenyans urgently require treatment and rehabilitation for Alcohol and Drug Use Disorders, substantially beyond the treatment capacities of facilities that exist.
NACADA reiterated that the report highlights the need for the implementation of the President’s directive to put and run at least one rehabilitation center in every county.
The organization urged counties to focus on the development of public treatment and affordable centers and also pleaded for support from development partners in community and specialist programs. “Suggestions were made that, without deliberate investment, many Kenyans would continue to be locked out of life-saving treatment,” said NACADA, emphasizing that all should be able to achieve recovery, restoration, and reintegration, not to mention private restoration.