Second Lady Pastor Dorcas Rigathi has partnered with matatu and boda boda operators to popularise her fight against alcoholism.
Speaking after a meeting with transport sector players at her Karen home, the Second Lady said the transport industry offers the perfect avenue to sensitize the youth against the dangers of alcoholism.
The Second Lady noted that the partnership will enable her office offer training and impart skills to staff in the transport industry.
The collaboration will also seek to fight drugs and substance abuse among those working in the industry.
“As fathers and mothers of the land we are going to walk with these young people and we are going to give them the right counsel," she explained.
The event was attended by players in the Matatu Industry led by Dickson Mbugua the Chairperson of the Matatu Welfare Association and Nelson Mwangi the Chairperson of Super Metro Matatu Sacco.
Mwangi told journalists that he was delighted to receive the support from the Second Lady noting that the menace had afflicted some of the workers attending to his fleet.
"We, Super Metro, feel blessed because this is a journey we started a while back of training and retraining our drivers when we realised that they are being affected by alcoholism and drug addiction," noted Mwangi.
"We did not know where to go so we were handling it on our own. Now, Her Excellency has come and we are ready to partner to make sure that we save our drivers and conductors."
Another industry player present, Nyaure, noted that the problem had affected nearly 85 per cent of employees in the sector.
"Our industry was hard hit by the issue of drugs. We are looking at 85 per cent of the workers who are hard hit by the issue of drugs," Nyaure observed.
"She (Pastor Dorcas) has come through for us and we are going to partner with her and the clergy. We need spiritual breakthroughs and support from the government on this issue."
Since taking over the office, Pastor Dorcas committed to reforming the youth affected by drug abuse, especially in the Mt Kenya region and Nairobi.
The Second Lady has set up rehabilitation centers aimed at helping the affected individuals notice that excessive consumption of alcohol is a disease which requires sacrifice and hard work to overcome.
Notably, the first cohort from various centers has already graduated and is in different stages of becoming productive economically.
