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When terror is spread, people become terrified, alarmed, dismayed, frightened and anxious, living on the edge and fearful of what will happen next.

Hence acts of terrorists who plants bombs, or conduct suicides bombing missions or crash planes into skyscrapers are difficult to anticipate and scare us to death simply because they are unpredictable and catch us unprepared. Yet Kenyans are a resilient lot who know life must go on and that there are more chances of them dying in a matatu (informal public transport mini-bus vehicles) crash, being car-jacked or attacked by gangsters than being the victim of a terrorist bomb.

Ironically amongst Kenyans skulks a terrorist who affects in one way or another, 26 million citizens, almost the entire population of the country and yet this terrorist is harboured and welcomed with open arms by the majority of the population who seem to be totally unaware of it's true nature. The name of that bugbear - pombe (Kiswahili for alcohol)

Current figures available in Kenya show that one alcoholic affects to the core six Kenyans while if that alcoholic is a professional then that number shoots up dramatically to 60. Also thrown into this equation is the fact that out of the estimated 2 million alcoholics in Kenya 1 in 10, is a professional which thus gives us the mind-boggling 26 million total of Kenyan’s affected by alcoholics.

If I were asked to define affected in one word, that word would be 'terrorised!' To be terrorised, is to be intimidated, browbeaten, oppressed, bullied, menaced, coerced, and to be frightened out of ones wits. It is to be scared to death and constantly anxious and often threatened.

To be terrorised is a father breaking plates at midnight demanding food yet he has not been seen in the house for a week. It is the neighbours wondering whether to intervene at 2.00 am when the sound of screaming and shouting and things falling and breaking next door waft clearly into their bedrooms and wake them up. Cowering children as a parent towers over them shouting for reasons they cannot fathom, is to be terrorised. Terrorism is strangers banging on your door demanding money your wife owes them. No food in the house, lying awake wondering is he or she dead, hurt or in the police cells? HIV/AIDS how long are you going to be lucky before your spouse brings it home and infects you? Kids being hounded from school in humiliation after all the money for fees has been drunk. Hospital visits with broken limbs and a myriad of other alcohol induced ailments.

Terrorism is suicide threats or attempts, financial difficulties, children developing behavioral problems, depression violent mood swings and irritability. Through all this one has to keep up appearances, look normal and smile even as you are terrorised, there is nowhere to turn for the stigma and shame attached to alcoholism is too great.

All the while, you mistakenly keep thinking it is your fault, you did something wrong, there must be something you have not yet done that will stop this mad drinking.

As if all this were not enough, teenage drinking which crosses all cultures and boundaries and sexes has in this new millennium reached epidemic proportions globally. Here at home, recent reports carried in the local media of teenagers drenching and drowning themselves in alcohol at rugby matches and concerts speak volumes. Reports of school girls in full uniform being hauled out of a matatu (Hectic, mainly reckless, Kenyan mini-bus taxi) as they drank distilled alcohol from sachets as well as beer and whipped by angry members of the public do not even warrant comment. Yet only a short while earlier girls from the same school had been tossed out of a bar where they were drinking beer again in full school uniform.

Yet while all this goes on under our tolerant noses, we talk about legalising abortion, rising cases of teenage pregnancies, STI's and HIV/AIDS. We agonise about unrest in schools and constant unruly behavior amongst our teenagers. Finally we cry as we bury them. Then and only then, do you finally see belated reactions from parents. As this needless tragedy played itself out with their children jumping one by one into the trecherous sea of alcohol, these parents stood by idly watching. They knew their children could not swim, but still they kept mum.

One by painful one, they die in alcohol related accidents and incidents as well as numerous suicides and botched abortions. But now clinging to large, framed portrait photos, showing smiling young men and girls who, innocent smiles frozen forever by death, will never laugh again, these parents sob uncontrollably. Wailing relatives tear out their hair at the roots as the soil thuds on loved ones coffins with finality, and they ask God where is the fairness? Why take one so young?

Meanwhile the media continues to spread its message of 'mass distraction' with advertisements that entice one to drink all manner of alcoholic beverages with the subtle but subliminal implication that it will improve your social life, make you more glamorous and sexy, a part of the 'in' crowd while 'bringing out the power in you' They advertise all manner of competitions which involve purchasing or drinking copious quantities of alcohol.

Ultimately when you talk about crime, corruption, HIV/AIDS, all manner of family discord, child abuse, domestic violence, increased school drop out rates, crime, rape, road accidents, Kenyans losing jobs, employers suffering heavy losses due to work disputes, accidents and inefficient manpower, lost man/woman hours, massive medical bills paid for by the taxpayer all as a result of this bogey man and you realise that no meaningful progress can be made unless this terror is checked. It strides as a colossus it's shadow darkening every aspect of our lives leaving a terrible trail of destruction in its wake.

The National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) government came to power on a platform of change and to give them credit they seem to have embarked well in what is a most gargantuan and unenviable task.

This is an appeal to President Mwai Kibaki to hear the silent screams of his people as this terror flits constantly among them causing unimaginable pain, for this terror is a silent killer, carrying with it a shame and prejudice so great that it's victims and their families prefer to be crucified quietly.

I look back at the horror my wife, children, parents, relatives, friends, employers, businessmen and other hapless Kenyans who I stole from, or conned or lied to during my drinking days went through and would not wish this excruciating torture on any other human being Kenyan or otherwise.

Mr. President, all the areas your government has set out to reform, from corruption through to prisons, to crime to health to HIV/AIDS, the youth, street children all these efforts will be hampered if we do not deal with the terror of alcohol, both legal and illegal.

The Western world long realised that unless this monster was put on a short leash, there would be havoc in their societies. These very same societies who have money for awareness programmes, thousands of rehabilitation centers including Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP's) to assist addicted employees, Al-anon for families, Alateen for teenagers, ACOA for Adult Children Of Alcoholics, numerous programmes for the Church, those addicted in prisons and for almost every facet of alcoholism (some which we are not even aware of here yet) there is help. Yet through all the problems they have, many of which already beset us, we are however nowhere near equipped to deal with them

We then who have only a handful of rehabilitation centers, which are under-funded and struggling on their own, we who have no national alcohol policy in place, who do not even know that alcoholism is a disease what chance then do we have?

Mr. President we have one chance and one chance only. A bold awareness initiative starting right at the top. You Sir, must sit in the driver's seat on this one. You must head a multi faceted, multi sectoral sustained and well-coordinated education campaign. Just as you have sat in the driver’s seat with HIV/AIDS, which is a close bedfellow to alcohol, so must you show the governments direction and position on alcohol.

It took me 15 years to come out of denial, 15 years of fighting the idea that I was alcoholic. But finally the evidence overwhelmed me. That is how alcohol is, Patient, overwhelming, and deadly. Had it only taken a year or two for me to come out of denial, I would have saved everybody 13 years of terror. To my mind then alcohol is the real terrorist who costs as more than all the bombs ever exploded in this country.

Mr. President you on the other hand have the power to stop the suffering now. You Sir, can act now to silence the hideous yet muted screams of your people and end the terror now. Now Sir, not five, ten, or 13 years hence.

Ultimately the very nature of this terrorist will bring the whole country to it’s knees before grinding our faces into the smelly mud made up of the emaciated or mangled bodies of our loved ones. Then like the alcoholic who finally hits rock bottom we will be forced in any event to finally act or perish. In the process however millions of hapless Kenyans will have suffered unnecessarily or died.

Let the torrential deluge of alcohol now drowning your people subside. Let the sun come up accompanied by a bright rainbow, for as legend has it, at the end of every rainbow there is a pot of gold. NARC is the rainbow coalition, the pot of gold is a National Alcohol Policy. Mr. President set your people free.

David Ogot is a freelance journalist/producer who has personal experience with alcoholism. He can be reached at goinghomedotcom@yahoo.com or info@goinghomedotcom.org website: www.goinghomekenya.org