NACADA

What NACADA does

NACADA (National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse) is a Kenyan government state corporation established in 2001 and operating under the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government. It functions as Kenya's sole statutory authority coordinating prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and regulatory enforcement activities related to alcohol and drug abuse, with statutory powers granted under the Alcoholic Drinks Control Act, No. 4 of 2010. The organization serves multiple stakeholder groups: Kenyan citizens seeking help (via the 24/7 toll-free helpline 1192), licensed alcohol importers and exporters, rehabilitation professionals and accredited treatment centers, prevention program implementers, and the broader public through awareness campaigns.

The agency's core offerings include the African Journal of Alcohol and Drug Abuse (AJADA), a bi-annual peer-reviewed open-access journal published via Open Journal Systems (OJS 3.4.0.2); the Universal Prevention Curriculum (UPC) and Universal Treatment Curriculum (UTC) training programs for professionals; alcoholic drinks import/export licensing processed through the Kentrade Single Window Platform; an accredited rehabilitation center directory covering all 47 Kenyan counties; the Miritini Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre (a government-operated residential facility in Mombasa undergoing renovation); and the NACADA Quarterly newsletter. The underlying technology stack is built predominantly on open-source and government platforms (OJS for journal publishing, Kentrade Single Window for trade licensing, eCitizen portal for training registration and payments) rather than proprietary infrastructure.

NACADA's revenue model is mixed but not commercial: it is primarily funded through Government of Kenya budgetary allocations, supplemented by licensing fees collected from alcoholic drinks importers/exporters and fees from UPC/UTC training programs processed through the eCitizen portal. The entity has no external investors, no funding rounds, no subsidiaries, and no equity structure. Operations are Kenya-wide, distributed through the Nairobi headquarters, the Mombasa treatment facility, the 24/7 national helpline, digital government platforms, and a network of accredited rehabilitation centers across all 47 counties.

Name

NACADA

Legal name

National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse

Website

https://nacada.go.ke

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

NACADA is the Kenyan government statutory authority coordinating alcohol and drug abuse prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and licensing, operating a 24/7 national helpline, training programs, rehabilitation center accreditation, and research publications for citizens and professionals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Substance Abuse Prevention and Regulatory Services

NAICS

Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420)

akta.pro primary industry

Substance Use, Addiction & Harm Reduction Health Departments (HLAJAAAM)

Keywords

• Alcohol control regulation
• Substance abuse prevention
• Addiction treatment services
• Drug abuse research
• Rehabilitation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Nairobi

HQ country

Kenya

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Budget Allocation: Core funding from Kenyan government budgetary allocations as a state corporation/regulatory authority.
2. Alcoholic Drinks Licensing Fees: Licensing fees collected from importation and exportation of alcoholic drinks. Licenses are issued for 12 months from date of issue upon successful application and fee payment.
3. Training Program Fees: Fees collected for Universal Prevention Curriculum (UPC) and Universal Treatment Curriculum (UTC) training programs. Payments processed through eCitizen portal.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

NACADA is Kenya's statutory authority coordinating and overseeing alcohol and drug abuse prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation activities nationally. It delivers regulatory licensing for alcoholic drinks imports/exports, professional training programs (Universal Prevention Curriculum and Universal Treatment Curriculum), accreditation of rehabilitation centers, peer-reviewed research publication through AJADA journal, a 24/7 toll-free helpline (1192) for counseling and incident reporting, and operates its own treatment facility at Miritini.

Product overview

NACADA operates as a unified government agency offering a portfolio of interconnected products and services centered on alcohol and drug abuse prevention and treatment. The core offerings include the African Journal of Alcohol and Drug Abuse (AJADA) peer-reviewed research journal, Universal Prevention Curriculum (UPC) and Universal Treatment Curriculum (UTC) professional training programs, alcoholic drinks licensing services via the Kentrade platform, an accredited rehabilitation center directory across all 47 Kenyan counties, the NACADA Quarterly newsletter, the 1192 free helpline for counseling and referrals, and the Miritini Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre facility. These services work together to fulfill NACADA's mandate of leading Kenya's campaign against alcohol and drug abuse through research, prevention education, treatment support, and regulatory compliance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AJADA: African Journal of Alcohol and Drug Abuse - an open access, peer reviewed, multidisciplinary journal committed to high quality publications on alcohol and drug abuse, published bi-annually by NACADA.
• NACADA Quarterly

Products and services

• African Journal of Alcohol and Drug Abuse (AJADA) Open access, peer-reviewed multidisciplinary journal published bi-annually (June and December) dedicated to advancing research on alcohol and drug abuse with a focus on African context and global trends. Targets researchers, policymakers, and substance abuse professionals.
• Universal Prevention Curriculum (UPC) Training Evidence-based drug prevention training program designed to build prevention capacity among implementers using effective interventions aligned with International Standards for Drug Use Prevention. Participants register through the eCitizen portal.
• Universal Treatment Curriculum (UTC) Training

Quantifiable outcome

• Free helpline available 24 hours daily for counseling, referrals, and incident reporting

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Kentrade Single Window PlatformcoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline licensing platform for alcoholic drinks import/export applications. Applicants submit applications via the Kentrade Single Window Platform. New applicants email [email protected] to request opt-in with their KRA PIN.
• eCitizen PortalcoreTechnology or IntegrationKenya Government digital services platform integrated for training registration, payments, and alcoholic drinks license applications through https://nacada.ecitizen.go.ke/.
• Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National GovernmentflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent ministry overseeing NACADA's regulatory activities within the Kenyan government's interior coordination structure.
• Kenyatradenet (Kentrade)coreTechnology or IntegrationGovernment trade facilitation platform (tfp.kenyatradenet.go.ke) used for alcoholic drinks import/export licensing processing.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Drug Control and Enforcement Authority (DCEA, Tanzania): Tanzanian government agency responsible for coordinating national drug control policy and enforcement. Closest East African peer to NACADA given shared regional context and similar statutory remit.
• SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration): U.S. federal agency within HHS that leads public health efforts on substance abuse prevention, treatment, and recovery support. Directly comparable as a national public health authority with a comparable mandate to NACADA, though operating at much larger scale.
• Central Drug Authority (South Africa): South Africa's national statutory body coordinating the country's response to substance abuse, established under the Central Drug Authority Act. The closest African peer to NACADA in terms of statutory mandate and national coordinating role.

Broad incumbents

• National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA): U.S. federal research institute leading scientific study of drug use and addiction. Comparable to NACADA's research mandate via the AJADA journal and wastewater analysis, though NIDA's scale and scientific depth are far greater.
• United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC): Global UN entity addressing illicit drugs, crime, and terrorism. Operates as the international apex body that NACADA engages with for policy alignment and standards (e.g., International Standards on Drug Use Prevention referenced in UPC training).
• Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP): U.S. executive office coordinating federal drug policy. Comparable as a national-level drug policy coordination body, though with a stronger policy and enforcement focus than NACADA's service-delivery orientation.
• Public Health England (now UK Health Security Agency): UK public health body that historically addressed substance misuse. Comparable as a national public-health authority with overlapping substance use programs, though embedded in a broader public health portfolio.
• World Health Organization (WHO) - Substance Abuse Programme: WHO's global programme on substance abuse provides normative guidance that NACADA aligns with. Functions as the international standards-setting body rather than a national operator.

Regional players

• Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA): Nigeria's federal law enforcement agency for drug control. Comparable as a major African national drug authority, though more enforcement-focused than NACADA's prevention-and-treatment coordination mandate.

Others

• International Narcotics Control Board (INCB): UN treaty-based body monitoring implementation of international drug control conventions. Related ecosystem participant that shapes the regulatory framework within which NACADA operates.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NACADAKenya
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nacadakenya

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NACADA