Speaking at an engagement ceremony in Uasin Gishu County on Saturday, January 3, the Head of State said the government is drafting a law that would make drug-related offences a capital crime, punishable by hanging. He emphasised that the legislation is a response to the failure of current penalties, which have not deterred traffickers and have left communities and families vulnerable to the devastating impact of drugs.
'For all these people who are involved in the illicit alcohol trade, we are going to change the law. In the past, we had a law with a clause that if you were caught selling substances, including hard drugs such as heroin, the only penalty was a fine of Ksh1 million (approximately 11 million Rwandan francs). Now we are changing that so that you can be hanged,' Ruto said.
He added that the law will also empower authorities to confiscate assets obtained through illicit drug and alcohol trade, including vehicles and property.
The President called on Members of Parliament to support the new legislation, noting that over five million Kenyans are affected by drug and alcohol abuse, which he described as a national crisis that threatens the country's social and economic development.
The announcement follows Ruto's plans to strengthen the government's law enforcement response. In his New Year's address at Eldoret State Lodge on December 31, the President outlined plans to establish a robust Anti-Narcotics Unit (ANU) within the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI). The unit, he said, will be trained to operate at the level of Kenya's elite Anti-Terrorism Police Unit, with capabilities in intelligence, surveillance, forensics, and financial investigations.
Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen supported the move, noting that countries such as the Philippines, Malaysia, and China impose the death penalty for serious drug offences.
'We cannot achieve first-world status while the most productive generation is being wiped out by drugs and alcohol,' he said, highlighting the ineffectiveness of current fines in curbing trafficking.
Murkomen added that the government's crackdown will target major drug barons and operators of illicit alcohol, with special attention to young people from well-off families who are increasingly becoming addicted.
Currently, one in every six Kenyans aged 15 to 65 uses at least one substance, with alcohol being the most prevalent, affecting over 3.2 million people.
Wycliffe Nyamasege
