According to the Bill that now awaits president’s consent, drug
trafficking kingpins will now be subjected to a jail term of 30 years
together with a hefty penalty amounting to Sh1billion.
The enactment of the law, according to the government, had been
necessitated by the fact that the previous legislation was not sharp
enough to fix the nature of the war against the vice as it also provided
magistrates and judges with discretion to sentence a convicted person
either to go to prison or pay fine or both.
Now, with this new legislation enacted this week magistrates and
judges will be forced to abide by requirement of the law by imposing
both punishment- 30 years jail term plus payment of Sh1 billion.
According to Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (
Policy, Coordination and Parliamentary Affairs) Jenister Mhagama,
despite the Anti Drugs Commission through the police unit stepping up
the war against narcotics in the country, suspects arrested have been
finding it easier to be freed even after being arraigned in the court of
law, a trend that forced the government to come up with a tight law.
Much as we may celebrate the passing of the Bill that gives more
powers to the actors in the war against drug trafficking kingpins, there
are feelings among the public that drug trafficking barons are well
known in the society only that no one wants to come out to name.
It would be recalled that in his early days when President Jakaya
Kikwete assumed the office in 2006 he came out, announcing that he had
the list of all drug barons in the country, creating anxiety among the
public with some people eagerly waiting to see what could have happened
next.
Almost ten years down the line, the list has never been made public
on grounds that no one came up with empirical and water tight evidence
against those individuals, warranting their names to be made public.
The question that lingers in the minds of the public is, if the
president himself finds it difficult and may be improper to make public
the list of drug kingpins who else can dare do that?
In the last three years drug trafficking tarnished the image of the
country after it became evident that the illegal stuff were finding
their way easier into the country thought various gateways.
It would be remembered how former Transport Minister Dr Harrison
Mwakyembe was forced to take drastic control measures at airports and
other border posts, including transferring police officers who were in
charge of security matters.
What is generally known in the public is that if you expose a drug
dealer you risk your life simply because the illegal business is
lucrative and therefore no drugs kingpin would allow anyone to spoil it.
Drug dealers, especially those of ‘high profile’ have sophisticated
network that is difficult to disentangle.
Now, the new law has been enacted that will see drug barons being
sentenced to 30 years imprisonment plus a fine amounting to Sh1 billion
but the question that still remain is - will the new law deter them?
Sun Tzu, a Chinese military general, strategist, and philosopher
who lived in the period of ancient China once said “If you know the
enemy and know yourself you need not fear the results of a hundred
battles”. This is what we should embrace as a nation while waging the
battle against drugs.SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
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