Abstract:
Drugs and substance abuse is one of the major problems affecting university students. This problem impacts negatively on the academic, social, psychological and physical development among the abusers. This study was aimed at establishing the perception of Maasai Mara University students on drug and substance abuse: the prevalence rate of drug and substance abuse in the university, causes of drug and substance abuse, and its effects on academic performance. Descriptive research design was used in this study. The study was carried out in Maasai Mara University, Narok County. The university has over 10,000 students. During the study two groups were not in session. The study was carried out among students residing in the university hostels. The female students were 1073 and male students were 1315, from this accessible population the sample size was composed of 120 students. Random sampling was used to select students whereby the 120 students were randomly picked from 60 rooms in the four hostels: Mara, Loita, Serengeti and Suswa. Questionnaires and key informant interviews were used to get information from the respondents. The questionnaires were self-administered to ensure confidentiality. The data obtained was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The representation was done through frequencies, percentages, pie charts and bar graphs. The findings of the study revealed that a number of students use drugs and substances for different purposes. A number of factors contribute to students’ abuse of drugs and other substances. Some of these factors include peer pressure, influence of mass media, curiosity and environmental factors as well as demographic factors, among others. The study found out that over 41% of the students use drugs for various reasons and the commonly abused drugs and substances in the university are alcohol and tobacco. Some of the recommendations proposed in the study were that the university should introduce a course on drug and substance abuse, common to all students. This would enrich them with knowledge of the side effects of drug and substance abuse, hence abuse due to ignorance would be reduced. Also, the university should conduct regular awareness campaigns on drug and substance abuse among students and organize health talks on drug and substance abuse to students by experts.
