Alcoholism continues to ravage communities in Central Kenya, with young men wasting away in illicit brew dens and families paying the heaviest price.
Mothers wail as their sons succumb to addiction and premature deaths, while households disintegrate under the weight of financial strain and emotional trauma.
Morning walks through some shopping centers as early as 8 a.m. reveal a shocking reality: men, young and old, idling away waiting for someone to quench their thirst in dens popularly known as “kutoa lock” (quenching the thirst).
The menace is not limited to the unemployed; professionals and civil servants have not been spared either.
Local leaders are continuously calling for stronger regulation of illicit brews and increased public awareness warning that left unchecked a whole generation risks being wiped out.
“This is a menace, we need a thorough crackdown on illicit brews in this region because our young men’s future is on the line, even licensing regulations need to be reviewed if we are going to end this” said Woman representative Betty Maina
KNA spoke to 29-year-old prison officer Arthur Irungu Kamau, a recovering addict who has turned his life around to champion awareness against alcoholism.
His story sheds light on how addiction can strike anyone, regardless of background or profession.
“After high school, I inherited some property as the only son, and that marked the beginning of my years of long struggle. I started drinking as money was plenty,”.
“I took it slowly at first. Over time, I could not stop and before long it was a full blown addiction,” Irungu recounted.
His addiction escalated during his employment at the Kenya Prisons Service, where access to loans further fueled his drinking habit.
“At one point, I took a loan of Sh1.2 million, and added more from my tea earnings to the tune of Sh.500,000. I used all this money to finance my drinking,” he said.
He admits deserting his family as he could not provide for them and this was a constant cause of friction between him and his wife.
“My health suffered, and I was in and out of hospital, work suffered, but I could not stop drinking. I wasted a lot of my youthful life in alcohol dens,” he says solemnly.
Amidst it all, one person remained by his side. Milka Wangeci, his wife.
Irungu credits her for being his number one support and being pivotal in his journey to recovery.
“We have been married six years and even when we were courting, he was still deep into drinking but I chose him because I was hopeful he would change once he had family responsibilities,” she says.
Unbeknownst to Wangeci, his drinking got worse and he even started selling their household items to finance his drinking.
“Numerous times he was violent—I would leave home and then return but I was committed to supporting him to the end such that I became his number one counsellor,”.
“When sober, he listened, but in the evenings, he would come back drunk and abusive. I decided to bring him to Edin Care Rehabilitation Centre,”.
During his three-months stay, at the centre she visited him weekly and witnessed first-hand his transformation.
“He is changed, and is a good father to the children and a caring husband and I am certain we will recover all the lost years,”.
While Wangeci advises families to support addicts and not stigmatize them, Irungu urges young people struggling with addiction to seek help, noting that quitting is far more challenging than most realize.
Irungu thanks his employer- police service- for supporting him throughout recovery and is hopeful to recover all the lost years of his life.
Charles Njugia, a counsellor at Edin Care Rehabilitation Centre, emphasized the broader social impact of alcoholism:
“Alcoholism is destructive. Many who come to rehab have disintegrated family relationships as they are often land in financial ruin, having sold family property or neglected their responsibilities,” says Njugia.
Njugia opines that alcoholism like any other addiction destroys trust, breaks households, and fuels depression.
“But there is hope. With the right support, counselling, and rehabilitation, addicts can regain control of their lives and rebuild their families.
“Recovery is a journey, and we guide them step by step, providing tools to resist relapse and reintegrate into society,” he says.
By Florence Kinyua
