KIGALI — Rwanda on Saturday combined its monthly community work, Umuganda, with a nationwide campaign against alcohol and drug abuse, as authorities stepped up efforts to combat the use of… The post IGP Namuhoranye Reveals How More Than 50 Young People Were Found Drugged in House Party appeared first on KT PRESS .
Inspector General of Police (IGP) CG Felix Namuhoranye speaking on Saturday
KIGALI — Rwanda on Saturday combined its monthly community work, Umuganda, with a nationwide campaign against alcohol and drug abuse, as authorities stepped up efforts to combat the use of illicit and dangerous alcoholic drinks.
The campaign comes amid an ongoing government crackdown on deadly alcoholic beverages that have been found on the Rwandan market, including some products believed to have been brought into the country from outside Rwanda.
Hundreds of residents participated in the activities in different parts of the country, with senior government and security officials joining communities to raise awareness about the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse.
In Kicukiro, Inspector General of Police (IGP) CG Felix Namuhoranye used the occasion to reveal how police recently found more than 50 young people, including minors, intoxicated and using drugs in one house.
The young people were later handed over to their parents. Some were vomiting, while others had to be taken to hospital after falling into comas.
Namuhoranye said the incident happened in Kicukiro about two weeks ago and involved boys and girls aged 15, alongside others aged 16, 17 and up to 28.
“Some of them had never tasted alcohol before and started drinking that day. Others were already drunk, while others were smoking marijuana,” he said.
According to the police chief, the gathering started at around 5 p.m. Police arrived at about 3:30 a.m. and found a chaotic scene.
“They were naked. Some were vomiting the alcohol they had drunk, while others were taken to hospital while in comas,” he said.
Namuhoranye said some young people who arrived at the gathering without drinking eventually tasted alcohol before leaving, while others left vomiting. Some also smoked electronic cigarettes.
“One who arrived there without drinking went home after having a taste. One who arrived and drank went home vomiting. Another who arrived drinking left after also smoking an electronic cigarette,” he said.
He explained that e-cigarettes contain nicotine, an addictive substance.
The young people, he said, had access to a wide range of drugs.
“You moved from vapes to heroin and cocaine, from marijuana to injecting drugs,” Namuhoranye said, describing the range of substances involved.
He said the incident showed that the problem among young people extends beyond alcohol.
“It is not only alcohol that alters the mind. There is also a drug called marijuana,” he said.
More than 50 young people had gathered at the house and appeared determined to consume as much alcohol as possible, he said.
“You ask them, who told you that these drinks would expire tonight? They drank them as if they had a plan to finish them,” he said.
But the police chief warned that excessive drinking can endanger the drinker rather than simply exhausting the supply of alcohol.
“Even however much you drink, you cannot finish alcohol; alcohol can finish you. We found that it had finished them,” he said.
Police took all those found at the house to another location and contacted their parents.
Namuhoranye said officers then questioned parents about how they could go to sleep without knowing where their underage children were.
“We asked each parent: ‘Your 15-year-old child, who arrived there naked, without drinking, and went home vomiting — did you go to bed, sleep and not know where your child was?’” he said.
He said police were shocked to find that some parents had gone to bed and slept while their children, some of whom were under 18, were still away from home.
“We asked them: ‘At 11 p.m., you went to bed and slept. At 1 a.m., you turned over, covered yourself again and continued sleeping. Then at 3:30 a.m., I wake you up and tell you, come and see your 15-year-old child!’”
Namuhoranye made the remarks while addressing residents taking part in Umuganda on Saturday, August 29.
He urged parents and guardians to take greater responsibility for knowing where their children are, particularly at night.
“If you have a 15-year-old sister, do not go to bed without knowing where she spent the night. Do not sleep without knowing what she is doing wherever she has gone,” he said.
He said taking such responsibility would make individuals “agents of change” in their communities.
Those who do not use drugs, he added, also have a role to play by supporting people struggling with substance abuse and helping them on the path to change.
The Kicukiro event was part of a coordinated nationwide campaign that brought senior officials into communities across Rwanda.
In Kicukiro, Namuhoranye was joined by former Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi, Minister of Youth and Arts Dr Jean Nepo Abdallah Utumatwishima, and City of Kigali Mayor Samuel Dusengiyumva, among other officials.
In Eastern Province, the campaign was held in Rwimiyaga Sector, Nyagatare District, where Minister of Local Government Dominique Habimana joined residents for Umuganda. He was accompanied by Commissioner of Police Vincent Sano, the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Operations.
Habimana told residents that although the fight against illicit alcohol had made progress, it was not over.
He also warned about illicit drinks entering Rwanda from neighbouring countries, particularly given the region’s porous borders.
Sano urged residents to play an active role in tackling drug and alcohol abuse, saying community participation was essential in dealing with emerging security and social challenges.
The same campaign was also held in Rubavu District, where Health Minister Dr Sabin Nsanzimana joined residents in the border district.
Rubavu’s location on Rwanda’s border makes it an important area in the government’s efforts to prevent the smuggling and distribution of illicit alcoholic products.
The nationwide mobilisation follows a major government crackdown on dangerous alcoholic beverages blamed for deaths, blindness and other serious health problems.
Authorities have closed illegal production facilities, seized illicit products and taken suspects into custody as they seek to remove dangerous alcoholic beverages from the market.
The government has also increasingly focused on the demand side of the problem, particularly alcohol and drug consumption among young people.
Saturday’s campaign was therefore intended not only to reinforce enforcement efforts, but also to put greater responsibility on families and communities to prevent young people from becoming victims of substance abuse.
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