Why you should mind your company this party season

At around 11 am on March 8, 2021, Alfred Kiprono was found lying naked on the bed at a lodging in the outskirts of Nakuru town. He was found unconscious and was frothing. His phone, ATM card, and Toyota Premio were missing. 

"It was the most embarrassing experience I have ever had," he says. The previous night, Alfred had picked a woman at a bar in Nakuru town for a night of merrymaking. The 38-year-old former credit manager had spotted the woman the moment he walked into the bar. "She was very beautiful. She sat calmly at the counter, sipping a glass of wine," he recalls.

Awed by the woman's beauty, Alfred found his way next to her. He took a stool, placed his cars keys and iPhone on the counter, and ordered a Sh3,000 vodka bottle. "I wanted to create an impression," he says. After a few moments of chit-chat, the gods smiled at him, or so he believed. "We got social. I offered to pay for her drink. We danced and she coyly agreed to spend the night with me," he says. 

The woman suggested they move to a different location where she could feel at ease. "I thought I had won myself a night of pleasure, only to find myself in the middle of a nightmare the next day," Alfred says that shortly after booking a room in the outskirts of Nakuru town, the woman spiked his drink with a stupefying drug. "I lost my phone, Sh13,000 that was in my M-Pesa wallet, Sh480,000 in one of my bank accounts, and my car," he says.

On the same day that Alfred was stupefied and robbed in Nakuru, Lewis Wachira lost over Sh300,000 and house items worth tens of thousands after a spiking incident by two women at his home in Kayole, Nairobi. Earlier that evening, Lewis had invited the two to his home for a night of drinks and sex. The two women spiked his drink during the party and withdrew Sh324,000 from his bank account, Sh53,000 from his M-Pesa account. They also stole electronics and mobile phones worth Sh123,000. 

Unfortunately, both cases went cold after being reported to the police. "I didn't want to pursue it, I was too ashamed as I am married and respected in society," admits Kiprono. Lewis also says he gave up along the way as the case was taking too long to conclude.

It's party season once again and with Christmas being around the corner, many are likely to let their hair way down. Unlike last year, the curfews are now gone and bars have more time to operate. But as merrymaking season gains momentum, spiking incidents are on the rise. 

Main drugs

According to Dr. John P. Cunha, a medical author at the medical research journal Medicine Net, there are very specific drugs that criminals will use to stupefy their victims. These drugs include Rohypnol, GBL (gamma-butyrolactone), Ketamine – popularly known as Special K- and GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate) which is commonly referred to as the liquid ecstasy and passed along as an energy drink. These drugs may come as tablets, liquid, or even powder. "They will affect the victim very fast and will make him weak, confused, and out of control. They can also cause loss of consciousness," he says. 

The drugs act as depressants and cause sleepiness and relaxation to the body. When introduced in heavy dosages, they can slow down body organs. For example, when GHB is combined with alcohol, the resulting reaction is so lethal that it can induce a coma. This drug also causes hallucinations, distorted speech, and amnesia.

Other drugs

Other drugs available at chemists in Kenya that have been used to drug people include Stilnox and its generics Nirest, Zolpidem, or Zolpirex. The Stilnox 10mg tablet is prescribed at the pharmacy as an insomnia treatment drug that is supposed to be taken immediately before bedtime. On the other hand, Rohypnol tablets are medically used for short-term management of insomnia, premedication in surgery, and induction of anesthesia. They are also used to calm down mentally ill patients. "Rohypnol is a long-acting benzodiazepine which is used for sleep. The drug is no longer in use but can still be found in the black market," says Dr. Sylvia Kemunto, a general physician who practices in Nairobi. 

The drug costs between Sh500 and Sh2,000 depending on the amount, packet, sachet, and seller. Rhypnol is also referred to as flunitrazepam. It is ten times stronger than Valium, a drug that is also used to spike drinks. According to a study report titled Research on Rohypnol by the National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM) US, when administered, the effects of Rohypnol strike the victims suddenly. This is usually within 15 to 20 minutes after ingestion. The effects of the drug last for between four to six hours. Sometimes, these effects can last for up to 12 hours.

The affordability of certain stupefying drugs has also made it easier for criminals to ply their trade. In December 2020, Faiza Wanjiru who used to spike drinks told the Nation that in her former dark past, she preferred using Stilnox which she could get at less than Sh100. "I lived the good life of reaping where I never sowed," she said. In some cases, attackers use Scopolamine, a drug that is popularly referred to as the 'Devil's Breath'. The drug is blown into the victim's face or transferred through the shaking of hands. It is also sprayed on business cards.

Sexual assault

Stupefying drugs are also used as weapons of sexual assault. John Omondi who is a rape survivor recalls that he was raped by his friends after they spiked his drink. "We were drinking at a birthday party when I was sent to buy more drinks. When I resumed my drink, I started feeling dizzy. It was then that they grabbed and sodomized me," he said. 

Where drugs have been used to stupefy with the purpose of rape, many victims fail to report because of shame, intimidation, fear of being misjudged, and because the attackers are well known to them. "I could have reported being drugged and raped to the police but I was in denial, shock, pain, and exhaustion. I also did not want to report because of the profile of one of the perpetrators," the victim in the rape case against former rugby players Alexa Olaba and Frank Wanyama said. She tried to confront Wanyama, but he allegedly accused her of extortion and asked her to look for a lawyer if she went public with the issue. Olaba and Wanyama were found guilty of rape and sentenced to 15 years in jail before a retrial was ordered in 2020. In April 2021, Olaba was arrested for attempting to murder a key witness in the case.

Check your drink strips

While there have been efforts to nip spiking of drinks there doesn't seem to be a local solution in sight. 

In 2018, CSI Nairobi DNA Testing Services reported that they would soon launch Check Your Drink (CYD) test strips, designed to turn colour when they detect the presence of GHB or Ketamine drugs, but those plans are on hold. 

"Currently, we are yet to import the kits as the cost is at Sh500 each. This cost might be prohibitive for the end-user because each kit is used only once. We are trying to bring this cost to Sh50 by December 2021," said Kinyanjui Murigi, the director of CSI Nairobi DNA Testing Services.

US-based technology firm Undercover Colours has also developed test chips dubbed SipChip for testing the presence of drugs in beverages. To make a test, you are required to place one drop of a drink in the test area of the SipChip kit and wait. The results appear in as short as thirty seconds and a maximum of three minutes. "One line on the kit means that the drink is spiked and not fit for your consumption. Two lines mean that the drink is not spiked," says a test report from the firm. The SipChip test kit sells at Sh1,500 on Amazon and works on spiking drugs such as Rohypnol, Valium, Restoril, Xanax, and Serax. 

While these are great developments they may not be effective in curbing drink spiking as one requires to test each drink, which may not work if one is out on a binge. 

How you are targeted

Attackers do not always target victims spontaneously. In most cases, they will be lured by a detail that suggests a victim may have what they are looking for. For example, you may be a likely target if you are wearing expensive jewelry, or appear to be loaded with cash from your spending habits at the prey ground. Mberia Gitonga, a security expert, says that the attackers will always have the end game in mind. 

"Their aim is not to make merry or get drunk. In most cases, they will operate in twos at the club and have other accomplices waiting outside. This makes it easier for them to scout around for possible targets and pounce without attracting too much attention," says the founder of Universal Safety Centre and Consultancy, a training, and consultancy company that develops safety and security programs and trains individuals and organisations on safety and security. 

Among the most likely targets are people who drink alone or those who are both too drunk and show-offs. "If you are alone, it will be easy for them to identify you. In such instances, the attackers will position themselves near you."

Since spiking often happens in clubs, chances will be that the primary attackers who will drug you will be women. Gitonga says that they may be seductive enough for you to invite them over to your table, which will set their game on." According to Wanjiru, criminals also work with rogue bar staff who tip them off on which customers to target. For example, rogue staff will ask patrons to pay for their bills using mobile money to show them the confirmation message. They spot the balance and if it's significant, they set you up for drugging.

*****

An attacker gets a taste of their own medicine:

Cases of drugging have become so grievous that in twisted instances, perpetrators have spiked themselves in the process. Take Leah Mwenja, 31. On October 8, 2021, Leah unknowingly consumed a drink she had laced with a drug in Mombasa. According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, Leah was found unconscious at a Mombasa lodging which she had checked into a night of merrymaking. Her victims were senior county officials from the Physical Planning Department at Kisumu County, and a Member of the County Assembly who were all on a working holiday.

Robbery with hypnosis

Apart from spiking drinks in bars, criminals are also targeting ordinary business people and stealing from them using hypnosis, a condition in which the perpetrator puts their victim in a trance. This is the stupefying technique that an Asian couple used to steal Sh51,000 from Cindy Wanjiru and Joyce Nyambura at The Stop Liquor Store and M-Pesa business along Kiambu Road in October 2021. They handed Wanjiru an old Sh50 note and asked questions in quick succession. This put her in a trance. She emptied her cashier and handed them the money. It was only after they had left that she regained her self-awareness. The police suspected that the old Sh50 note might have been used to induce her trance state.

Symptoms that someone has been spiked using Rohypnol

A research report on Rohypnol by the National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM) says that when a drink is spiked with Rohypnol:

· The victim will suddenly appear drunker in a manner that is disproportionate to the amount of alcohol they have consumed.

· The victim may become lethargic, unable to walk or stand, and have disjointed speech or total inability to talk. In some cases, he may look confused about whatever is happening around him.

· The victim may also become argumentative and violent. 

· In high dosages, the victim may suffer reduced heartbeat rate and breathing difficulties.

General symptoms of being spiked or drugged will include:

· Hallucinations

· Blackouts or amnesia

· Blurred vision

· Paranoia

· Disorientation

· Lowered inhibitions

How to protect yourself

Security expert, Mberia Gitonga, says that you should take the following steps to avoid having your drink spiked:

· Have a safety procedure and plan your activities. This includes where you will go, who you will be with, and how long your stay will be.

· Always watch your drink. Never leave it unattended. If you are with a close acquaintance, watch their drink as well.

· Don't accept drinks from strangers and be slow to partake in communal drinking orgies.

· Take bottled drinks instead of jugs of cocktails or punch bowls.

· Do not take a drink if you suspect that it has been tampered with. Never leave your glass of drink full or half empty at the table when going to the toilets or the dance floor. And never accept a drink in a glass.

· Let your close friends be aware of your movements at all times.

· If you feel abnormally intoxicated, seek help immediately.

· Stick with people you are familiar with and who are protective of you.

· If you are alone and it is time to leave, do not be so excited at having met a stranger that you want to take them to your place. Take their number home, not the stranger.

[email protected]

For feedback to the editor email: [email protected]