NACADA shuts Meru rehab over torture, illegal detention of patients

The National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) has shut a rehabilitation centre in Meru County after uncovering abuse, neglect and illegal detention of patients, including minors.

A multi-agency team raided Better Me Rehabilitation Centre on Wednesday morning after receiving complaints from the public. The inspection found patients subjected to inhumane conditions, among them torture, overcrowding and lack of food and medical care. Many were forced to sleep on bare floors with worn-out blankets, without access to qualified doctors or counsellors.

Investigators also discovered that some patients had been locked inside the facility for more than a year, denied contact with families and stripped of basic rights. Authorities described the unsanitary environment as a public health threat.

NACADA Chief Executive Anthony Omerikwa warned operators running unlicensed and exploitative centres.

“We will not allow unscrupulous individuals to exploit the pain of families and the vulnerability of people struggling with substance use disorders,” noted Omerikwa, adding, “Operating unlicensed facilities under such deplorable conditions is not only illegal but deeply immoral.”

Police arrested the centre’s manager, Thomas Edwin, and a staff member, while the facility’s owner, Dr. Kelvin Ouko, remains on the run. The Directorate of Criminal Investigations in Meru has taken over the case.

All patients were rescued and placed under temporary protective custody at Meru Police Station as families were contacted to pick them up.

Omerikwa explained that NACADA will roll out a Community-Based Rehabilitation Framework to improve treatment and aftercare services.

“Our goal is to ensure a proper continuum of care for persons with drug use disorders. Through this framework, we will work with communities to provide safe, professional and accessible rehabilitation options, ending the suffering caused by rogue operators,” he observed.

The closure is the latest in a series of nationwide inspections targeting unlawful rehabilitation centres.