At the age of 28 years, Faizah Jalal has gone through a lot of pain, suffering and regrets and one day she thought she will never survive the life mishap that befallen her.
She puts all the blame to her husband who introduced her to drugs, however, she let it be a bygone as she now focuses on her new life out of addiction.
Faizah has been into addiction for 9 years and when she counts various opportunities she lost including education, she painfully regret in tears.
When she was married she had high hopes of bringing up a health family she would reckon with, but her dream never materialised in her only two year marriage life.
She lived at their marital home at Majengo area within Mombasa Island but her husband was the cause of all the disintegration.
“He used to go out in the morning but when he returned during midday he would fall asleep until evening, I kept asking myself what was going on,” she narrated.
She continued “When I kept pestering him with questions he once came with something I did not immediately establish what it was, he called me inside our room, took out a rubber band, tied on my hand and injected me, I can’t explain what I felt but I was alert and proactive, I would do all house chores alone only to regret later,” she added.
“However, when it became daily routine, I could no longer help my Mother- in-law since I did not want to touch water and at times I hid under the bed so that I was not given any house chores especially washing utensils or clothes, I did not want to touch water,” added Faizah now a reach out worker.
Later, her Mother- in- law took the husband to a rehabilitation centre while Faizah, a six month pregnant woman was thrown to the street, which also led to a still premature birth.
She vividly recalls 8 years ago when Old Mwembe tayari market was raided by Police officers and Mombasa County askaris to net drug users. Faizah jumped-off from 3rd floor breaking her both limbs, her two female colleagues also drug users got severe spine injuries and died two months later at the Cost general hospital.
She later sought assistance from Reachout Centre Trust, an anti-drug lobby based at the Coastal Kenya and under the methadone treatment Faizah disentangled herself from drug abuse.
For the last three years, Faizah has never tasted heroin and she is now in another marital tie.
According to Reachout Centre Trust Programmes Manager Faizah Hamid, female drug users mostly rely on commercial sex activities to quench the craving for drugs.
[Reachout Centre Trust Programmes Manager Faizah Hamid. Photo/ Tom Phondo]
She revealed that most women were now indulging in drug abuse compared to the recent past where male dominated the addiction.
She mentioned Ukunda and Diani in Kwale County, Mombasa, Kilifi and Lamu as the most affected counties where many youth were indulging in drugs.
“Security agents, Coast political leaders and especially female leaders should put more efforts towards eradicating drug menace in the region,”
