Spiritual leaders and teachers need specific information on alcohol and other drugs so that either from the pulpit or the classrooms you can talk specifically. Mr. James Ngumi of the Kenya Institute of Education (KIE) said this as he addressed spiritual leaders and teachers from religious and teaching institutions in and around Nakuru.

One way of keeping in touch with the children in classrooms was to put an empty box somewhere in the classroom where they could drop in anonymous questions on issues that they might not want to be personally associated with. The teacher could then address the answers to these questions to the whole class.

Dr. Mohamed Hassan the head of Preventive and Promotive Health at the Ministry of Health (MoH) at the same time warned against the inherent dangers housed in the indiscriminate proliferation of kiosks around the school perimeters. "These kiosks around schools sell sodas, what else do they sell?" he wondered. He exhorted for a level of zero tolerance. "What level of tolerance do you have when even students smoke in schools? I will be glad to hear Teachers Association has taken MoH to task on certain health issues so that we can tackle them."

Dr. Eric Achoki pointed out that "spiritual leaders and teachers are two very important custodians of the youth and necessary in the fight against drug abuse. More school girls in Central and North Eastern Provinces are using bhang (cannabis sativa) than boys and one reason they give is that it is easier to mask the smell than that of cigarettes."

This writer too told them how he started with cigarettes and beer in form one as a result of media influence, which led him to believe it, would impress the girls. How from this simple almost innocent beginning, he hurtled down the slippery slope of use into theft from his parents by the time he was in from three and the many a scrape drinking in school led to including brewing their own alcohol from discarded pineapple peels. He told of the over two decades of alcoholic hell which followed before he finally admitted to being alcoholic and sought help.

Mr. Joseph Kaguthi the National Coordinator, National Agency for the Campaign Against Drug Abuse (NACADA) explained that children start drugs as a simple process of growing up where they experiment. "According to data we have 92% try drugs and 18% later get hooked." Kaguthi proved that this was the general trend by asking those gathered "how many of you have never tried alcohol or cigarettes?" Laughter when only three raised their hands - even the National Coordinator had tasted.

Drug abuse as defined by the office of the National Coordinator, "any non-medical use of a drug or a chemical that destroys the health or productivity of a Kenyan and here chemical includes alcohol. In fact alcohol followed by tobacco are the 'betrayer of betrayers' and are the escort to the gates of bhang (cannabis sativa.)"

Thus what information is needed so that these kids do not continue? "The position we have taken is that the parent is the founding teacher and must continue teaching the child. The have abdicated their role and we must continue telling them this," he emphasised.

"The second lot of custodians are the teachers and the third category are the spiritual leaders of which the Christians compared to the Muslims have a problem." The National Coordinator lambasted the Christian Clergy whom he accused of not taking the alcohol and other drug use problem as seriously as their Muslim brethren. He particularly singled out Iqra F.M, which he said was doing a particularly good job.

Furthermore he pointed out the Muslims had even started not only debating on what they were to do about miraa (catha edulis) or khat but they had also formed the Imams against drugs and every Friday were asking for names of those dealing with drugs and taking to the District Commissioner (DC).

But the Christian Clergy were not talking loudly enough about drugs. "If a child is brought up going to church, chances of it using drugs reduced drastically. So parents sit, talk, laugh and eat together with your children. We cannot use the formal system of dealing with drugs because drugs not formal," he warned.

And the scenario is frightening for according to the National Coordinator; not a single school in Kenya is free from alcohol and other drug use. Not a single one - "including the school where you are Board of Governors (BOG) chairman." This was because drugs followed the perfect law of demand and supply "and if you get in the way of peddlers, they simply kill you." he added sending a cold chill of reality down everyones' spine.

Equally alarming in this bleak scenario, is the fact that "we even know that some of the teachers are peddlers, so you even have to suspect your own shadow." Thus he continued not mincing his words on his tough stance with parents, "start with your family, then your institution before you reach the rest of the country." Kaguthi also implored the clergy to "help us condemn the campaigners during elections from giving the youth drugs."

The NACADA Boss tore a strip off Public Health Officers and OCSs' (Officer in Charge of Station) of whom he said, "if they only worked 50% we would go very far." These two people are so powerful that "they can condemn anything on an opinion."

Finally five points of action were picked as the way forward. These were

1. No smoking anywhere in the school compound by teachers or students and no kiosks around schools
2. Subject of drugs should be put on the agenda in schools and the pulpit.
3. When a situation arises call for help NACADA will come.
4. Train on drugs, you might have counselors who are general not substance abuse counselors so KIE to hasten the process.
5. All government officers, public health etc. to enforce the laws and that goes for everyone