Please support our plan to raise legal drinking age to 21 – NACADA

Bishop Stephen Mairori, NACADA Board Chairperson/FILE

The National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) has stepped up efforts to raise Kenya’s legal drinking age from 18 to 21, terming the proposal a key measure to protect young people particularly university students from alcohol and substance abuse.

Speaking during an interview on Radio 47’s Breakfast 47 show hosted by Alex Mwakideu and Emmanuel Mwashumbe, NACADA Board Chairperson Stephen Mairori said the proposal is now being advanced from policy recommendation to legislation through Parliament.

Mairori noted that while the idea initially existed as a policy proposal, NACADA is now pushing for it to be anchored in law through both the Senate and the National Assembly. He emphasized that increasing the drinking age would help curb early exposure to alcohol among university students.

“We are pushing to raise the legal drinking age in Kenya from 18 to 21 years. Before it was just a policy, but now we are pushing it to a law. This is important in protecting our university students, and I hope that when the time for public participation comes, Kenyans will support this,” Mairori said.

The proposal is part of the National Policy on the Prevention of Alcohol, Drugs and Substance Use (2025), which was approved by Cabinet in July 2025 but has yet to be enacted into law.

The policy outlines broad reforms aimed at limiting youth access to alcohol and addressing substance abuse across the country. Among the key measures are banning alcohol sales near schools and places of worship, restricting youth-targeted marketing, and establishing rehabilitation centres in every county.

It also proposes outlawing digital alcohol sales, including vending machines and app-based deliveries, which NACADA says have created loopholes that allow minors easier access to alcohol.

The renewed push follows a NACADA survey of more than 15,000 university students that revealed high levels of alcohol consumption, alongside cigarette and shisha use.

NACADA now hopes Parliament will convert the policy into binding legislation to strengthen enforcement mechanisms and bolster prevention efforts nationwide.