Two secondary school teachers from Embu and Makueni counties have opened up about their devastating battles with gambling addiction, revealing a dark and fast-growing crisis that counsellors warn is silently destroying families across Kenya.
Kenya News Agency caught up with the duo at Edin Care Rehabilitation centre in Murang’a, where they had been invited to offer sessions and share their recovery journey with the over 80 recovering addicts admitted at the centre.
Maxwell Muriithi Nyaga, 32, a teacher at Mary’s Nyangwa Girls in Embu, says gambling almost ruined his life, as it drained his finances, shattered his marriage, nearly rendered him to commit suicide and left his family with overwhelming trauma and debts.
Muriithi’s journey into addiction began in 2014 while studying at the University of Nairobi. “I was introduced to a betting company by a friend while in campus and at first it was just for fun before it became a full-blown addiction that changed my life for the worse,” he recalls.
Later, another colleague introduced him to more betting platforms, accelerating the addiction. In 2018, while working at a real estate firm in Nairobi, relatives entrusted him with money to purchase land—but he gambled all of it.
In 2022, his aunt gave him Sh. 2.3 million for a land purchase. The entire amount disappeared in bets. His wife eventually left him, while his family—who repeatedly bailed him out—became overwhelmed.
At one point, his father even sold their cows to repay debts he had accumulated.
His sister once gave him Sh. 100,000 for court bail, but he gambled it within minutes and she had to borrow more money to get him out. After getting employed by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) in 2023, his addiction intensified.
“I gambled all my first three months’ salary that had been paid in a lump sum,” he says.
In early 2024, Muriithi became a class teacher and this responsibility further exposed how deeply the addiction had taken hold of him. “I gambled with students’ pocket money and even money for school tours. It was chaotic,” he says.
Notably and sadly, he had committed his salary to loans, all of which went into gambling. “By the time I joined rehab, my payslip was reading zero. I had committed everything.” Cumulatively, he had lost a whopping Sh. 8.6 million to gambling. Feeling hopeless and greatly stigmatised, Muriithi attempted suicide to end it all.
“I went to an agrovet in Embu town, purchased an herbicide, locked myself in the house and swallowed it. I woke up after seven days in a coma at Embu Level 5 Hospital,” Muririthi said adding after stabilizing, I was referred to Edin Care Rehabilitation Centre, where I began a slow but determined recovery journey.”
“Within the first month I started showing signs of improvement. By the third month I was ready to live again,” he says, beaming with joy
Today, Muriithi is a champion helping others overcome addiction.
For Mathew Ndiku, a teacher at St. Alphonse Kisau Girls, gambling addiction almost cost him his life as well. Ndiku says he began betting casually but by mid–2024, he had already lost Sh. 6 million. “I was in huge debt. I neglected my family. I was stigmatised and had lost hope,” he recalls.
In a moment of despair, Ndiku says, he attempted suicide by jumping into a dam but was rescued by passersby. That intervention saved his life and led to his admission into the Edin Care Rehab Centre, where he was able to turn his pain into purpose.
While in rehab, Ndiku discovered a talent he never knew he had. Writing. He has now authored two books and sold over 3,000 copies.
His first book Wingu la Mabadiliko addresses societal ills and addictions, while his second, Addiction Is a Disease, not a Crime, offers guidance to gambling addicts and families struggling with their addicted loved ones. “I want people to know that addiction is not a crime; it is a disease and many families are suffering in silence. I was helped, and now I help others to overcome this monster,” he states confidently.
Muriithi and Ndiku thanked their employer – the Teachers Service Commission – for supporting them through recovery and reintegration.
They now serve as addiction champions, visiting schools, churches, and community groups to warn young people about gambling and to encourage those struggling to seek help.
Their message is clear: addiction is real, recovery is possible, and gambling destroys more than it gives.
According to Counsellor Charles Njugia of Edin Care, pathological gambling is Kenya’s next major mental health crisis. “Pathological gambling is a new form of addiction in our society and it is a ticking time bomb,” he warns.
He notes that accessible smartphones and the explosion of betting companies have placed young people at great risk. “Gambling is cunning, baffling, and powerful. It starts as fun, then becomes an addiction. You lose money, then engage in revenge betting trying to recover it. Before you know it, you have lost everything.”
Njugia says consequences are severe, including depression, broken families, financial ruin, suicide attempts and deaths. However, he stresses that recovery is possible.
“After treatment, we follow up for three months to ensure no relapse. With support, counselling, and lifestyle change, people can rebuild their lives,” he concludes.
By Florence Kinyua and Purity Mugo
