The office of the Second Lady has a waiting list of 30,000 men who have expressed interest to undergo rehabilitation from alcohol, drugs, and substance abuse.
Pastor Dorcas Rigathi made this revelation during Thanksgiving prayers attended by more than 100 clergy from across denominations at the National Altar in Karen where she convened clergy for thanksgiving since children have gone back to school, end of the doctors strike and the moderate rains. Few weeks ago, clergy had met for prayers at the same national altar to pray for the same issues, terming them answered prayers.
Pastor Dorcas urged the clergy to open up their places of worship, across religions, for the restoration of the men in addictions who had shown willingness to stop using psychoactive substances.
“Let us come together as a church and start opening our doors to those boys. I ask churches that have rehabilitation centres to collaborate with us. We have a waiting list of 30,000, who have registered and want to undergo rehabilitation,” said Pastor Dorcas.
She added that under the inpatient rehabilitation, her office would graduate 1,200 under inpatient rehabilitation, while 5,000 others had undergone outpatient community rehabilitation in collaboration with the clergy dependent on their level of addiction.
Since she began her mission of transforming boys and men, Pastor Dorcas has been receiving information on the effects of drugs on the population. Recently, she told the clergy of a situation where men were ‘injecting their private parts with drugs, and as a result gang raping women’.
She decried the extent of drug use in the nation, noting that hundreds of families were affected as the addiction spiraled affecting the father, mother and even children in some cases.
“When our children die like dogs, they die like animals out there…and someone somewhere, a merchant of death is still making more to kill others,” she added.
Pastor Dorcas also called for collaborations and partnerships in connecting the rehabilitated men to jobs and business opportunities.
“Once you remove them from addiction, you must take them somewhere to provide an end-to-end solution to those in addictions. With all the churches we have in Kenya, if we can employ one, two…ten, we shall raise and support many and ensure we have a future as a church,” said Pastor Dorcas.
She urges even the Muslim and Hindu faithful to reach out to those in the streets and addictions, since the vices have affected all irrespective of race, religion or class.
Bishop Mophat Kilioba of PEFA Church acknowledged the transformation brought about by the boy child program in the nation, saying many who were lost in alcohol and drugs were leading a drug free life.
The clergy present included Archbishop Dr. Mophat Kilioba, Archbishop Gerry Kibarabara, Bishop Dr. Margaret Wangari, Rev Thegu Mutahi, Very Rev. Dr. Jesee Kamau, Bishop Stephen Gachengo, Bishop Stanley Michuki, Ev. Lucy Wangunjiri, Rev. Dr. Lucy Muiru, Bishop Dr. Peter Mankura, and Pastor Esther Oba-Sike among others.
