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Alcohol and Illicit Brews
2 substancesAlcohol in all its forms, including the home-brewed and illicit drinks common in the region.
Depressant
Alcohol
Pombe, busaa, mnazi, muratina
The most widely used substance in Kenya. Legal commercial alcohol and illicit home brews account for the largest share of substance-related illness in the region. One in eight Kenyans currently use alcohol.
Depressant / Illicit brew
Chang'aa
Kill me quick, mama pima, second generation
A homemade distilled spirit that is cheap, potent, and sometimes lethally adulterated with methanol. The most dangerous illicit brew in Kenya, with the highest prevalence in Western Kenya at 11.4%.
Cannabis
1 substanceBhang and related products, and the effects of regular use.
Stimulants
3 substancesSubstances that speed up the body and mind, including khat, cocaine, and similar.
Stimulant / Plant-based
Khat (Miraa)
Miraa, muguka, veve, qat, jaad
A chewed plant stimulant, legal in Kenya and deeply embedded in Eastern Kenyan and Horn of Africa culture. The third most used substance in Kenya. Nearly one million current users nationally.
Stimulant / Narcotic
Cocaine
Coke, snow, white, koki, crack
A powerful stimulant concentrated in Nairobi's higher-income social circles. Availability is increasing as Kenya's role in trafficking routes expands. Average age of first use is 20.
Stimulant / Synthetic
Synthetic Stimulants
Meth, crystal, ice, tik, bath salts
An emerging and rapidly growing threat. A meth laboratory was discovered in Kenya in 2024 with Mexican cartel involvement. Synthetic cathinones (bath salts) are spreading in urban areas.
Opioids
2 substancesPainkillers and related drugs that carry a high risk of dependence.
Opioid / Narcotic
Heroin and Opioids
Unga, smack, brown sugar, kadeke
Kenya's most severe addiction crisis. Concentrated in coastal towns along trafficking routes, driving HIV transmission and preventable death. MAT treatment is available in Kenya.
Opioid / Prescription misuse
Tramadol and Prescription Opioids
Tramal, tramol, T3, codeine
Prescription painkillers misused as street drugs. Africa's fastest-growing drug problem. Widely used by students and transport workers. Documented in 12 of 18 Kenyan counties surveyed.
Tobacco and Smoking Products
3 substancesNicotine in cigarettes, shisha, and other forms.
Stimulant / Legal
Tobacco and Cigarettes
Sigara, tumbaku, rolls
The second most used substance in Kenya after alcohol. Tobacco kills more Kenyans than any other drug yet remains legally and widely available. One in ten Kenyans currently use tobacco.
Tobacco / Banned product
Shisha
Hookah, water pipe, malaisha, hubbly bubbly
Banned in Kenya since 2017 but still widely available at nightclubs. Government testing found 79.2% of shisha samples positive for heroin before the ban.
Tobacco / Smokeless
Kuber
Kuber tobacco, gutka, pan masala
India's most notorious smokeless tobacco, now spreading rapidly in Kenya. Used by 23% of Kenyan university students in 2025, more than any other tobacco product in that group.
Inhalants
1 substanceEveryday solvents and fuels that are sometimes misused, especially by young people.
Drugs of Abuse (Misused Medicines)
8 substancesPrescription and over-the-counter medicines that are sometimes misused.
These are medicines that have legitimate medical uses but are widely misused in Kenya. The 2026 NACADA nationwide wastewater analysis confirmed their presence across multiple counties. Sources: NACADA, Standard Media, Nation Africa, The Star.
Prescription Drug Abuse
Diazepam (Misused)
C5, Valium, Blues, Mzigo
Kenya's most abused prescription drug at 32% of all prescription misuse. Used to intensify heroin highs and manage khat comedowns. Detected across 9 counties in 2026 NACADA wastewater study.
Prescription Drug Abuse
Benzhexol (Artane)
Cosmos, Artane, Bugizi, BZL
Second most abused prescription drug at 24%. Street name Cosmos. Produces vivid hallucinations at high doses. Widely used to intensify heroin. Documented in NACADA 2026 wastewater analysis.
Prescription Drug Abuse
Rohypnol (Flunitrazepam)
Mchele, Roofie, Red Devils, Date rape drug
Known as mchele on Kenyan streets. Used recreationally and criminally to spike drinks. NACADA identifies it as the primary drink-spiking drug used to facilitate assault.
Prescription Drug Abuse
Codeine Cough Syrup
Lean, Purp, Cough syrup, Tussin
Misused for its opioid effect, often mixed with soft drinks to make lean. Social media promotion is driving rapid uptake among Kenyan youth. Nigeria's codeine crisis is a warning of what Kenya may face.
Prescription Drug Abuse
Mandrax (Methaqualone)
Mandies, Buttons, White pipe, Spoor
A sedative withdrawn from medical use worldwide due to extreme abuse potential. Persists in East and Southern Africa. Smoked through a broken bottle in the distinctive white pipe method.
Stimulant / Empathogen
MDMA (Ecstasy)
Ecstasy, Molly, E, Pills, XTC
A club and party drug producing intense feelings of closeness and euphoria. Present in Nairobi nightlife and increasingly available online. Street ecstasy in Kenya is frequently adulterated.
Prescription Drug Abuse
Amitriptyline (Misused)
Ami, Antidepressant pills
Third most detected prescription drug of abuse at 20% in NACADA 2026. Misused for sedative and dissociative effects. Particularly dangerous in overdose due to direct cardiac toxicity.
Synthetic / Emerging
New Psychoactive Substances
Spice, K2, Fake weed, Designer drugs, Legal highs
The fastest-growing threat. Detected in Kenyan wastewater for the first time in 2026. Chemically engineered to stay one step ahead of the law. Effects are unpredictable and can be lethal.