The National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) has released a damning report on the state of rehabilitation services in Kenya following a nationwide inspection conducted in November 2025.
In a statement dated January 15, 2026, NACADA announced that the inspection was conducted under the Rapid Results Initiative (RRI), which aimed to assess the country’s addiction treatment and rehabilitation capacity.
The exercise was conducted by a multi-agency team comprising various government agencies and covered 236 treatment and rehabilitation facilities across 36 counties.
According to the findings, only 135 facilities were fully accredited, collectively offering nearly 3,800 residential beds for patients battling alcohol and drug addiction.
NACADA noted that these accredited facilities form the backbone of Kenya’s treatment and recovery response, with many offering Level 3 residential rehabilitation services.
However, the inspection uncovered serious concerns, with 30 facilities denied accreditation after failing to meet minimum standards.
Out of these, 15 facilities were issued with immediate closure notices due to severe violations that posed risks to clients, including expired medicines, poor hygiene, unsafe structures, and a lack of qualified medical personnel.
An additional 56 facilities were found to have compliance gaps and have been placed under close monitoring as authorities demand corrective measures.
The report further highlighted deep systemic challenges in the sector, noting that most accredited rehabilitation centres are privately owned, making quality inpatient care unaffordable for many Kenyan families.
NACADA also raised alarm over the critical shortage of public outpatient and community-based services, as well as an acute lack of specialised rehabilitation services for women and adolescents.
The Authority revealed that data from its last national survey shows that over 1.3 million Kenyans urgently need treatment and rehabilitation services for alcohol and drug use disorders.
These findings, NACADA said, underscore the urgency of implementing the President’s directive to establish at least one rehabilitation centre in every county.
The Authority called on county governments to prioritise public, accessible treatment facilities and urged development partners to invest in community-based and specialised services to ensure no Kenyan is left behind in recovery, restoration, and reintegration efforts.
