Alcohol addicts get new lease of life under Pastor Dorcas Rigathi's rehabilitation program

But alcohol addiction cost them all that and reduced them to helpless addicts who could not provide for themselves and their families, forcing them to retreat to their backyards and become beggars. 

But the ongoing program by the spouse of the deputy president, Mrs. Rigathi Gachagua, has given them a new lease of life. 

The program has rehabilitated them, restored their sense of purpose. Mary Muoki brings you the story of former civil servants who went off the rails, straightened their lives, and are now calling on society to give them a second chance to rebuild their lives.

At a time when securing employment is increasingly becoming elusive, securing employment in the civil service is considered by many as the pinnacle of success, with guaranteed job security until retirement. 

But for Bernard Kirui, a police officer, all that went down the drain when he got a little too cozy with the bottle. By his own admission, he was good at his job, but his endless drinking sprees kept getting out of control until he got interdicted.

Bernard Kirui, former police officer, said, "I was good in my job as a police officer until back in 2013 when I indulged in alcohol deeply, leading me to abscond my duties. I missed work for 68 days, and I was terminated from employment."

Kirui says his addiction got so out of control that he became a danger to himself and society. Having lost everything, he decided to join the Bomet county treatment and rehabilitation center to seek help for his addiction.

 It is in this center where he learned how deep his problem was and credits his turnaround to the tireless effort of staff here and fellow recovering addicts who were putting in the work to turn their lives around. 

One such fellow is Bernard Kemboi, a former high school teacher whose career was also ruined by alcohol addiction.

Bernard Kemboi, former teacher, said, "I had a weakness. I used to take one for the road. That is the beginning of my downfall. In 2016, I started missing work for one week every time I got my salary. I could not sleep in the same house when I had money; I must go and take alcohol overnight."

Although his lessons were some of the best performed in school, his alcohol addiction was always constantly pitting him against his school principal, who felt Kemboi could not be trusted to safeguard the safety of the students under his care. 

He received several warning letters to mend his ways, but the deadly beast of alcoholism overpowered him and was not relenting. He sought spiritual intervention and ended up at this rehab center. 

Here, everyone has a similar story. A story of addiction and helplessness. The center hosts men from different backgrounds all united by a common addiction.

Eric Tanui, a recovering addict, said, "A man who drinks alcohol, life is not good especially when it comes to responsibilities. It reached a point where, when I got my salary, all the money went to alcohol. 

I had two addictions; I was addicted to alcohol and bang. Now my wife saw there was no option; one day after work, I found my things packed, and she went to her parents. She left me with our child."

The three are a sad representation of a recent survey released by the National Registration Bureau, which shows that one-third of Kenya's civil servants are addicted to alcohol and drugs. 

The government, through NACADA, has set up various rehabilitation centers across the country to help reform not just civil servants but any Kenyan who wishes to overcome alcohol and drug addiction and turn their lives around. 

Leaders have expressed concern that if unchecked, the trend threatens to cause a brain drain in the country.

Professor Hillary Bachok, Bomet Governor, said, "A large percentage of people currently in session are professionals. We have doctors, teachers, and even engineers, but the knowledge they have cannot be put to good use because they are affected by alcoholism and drug use. If we are not careful, the investment we are making will go into nothingness."

Kemboi and Kirui have successfully completed the rehabilitation program and are asking their former employers to give them a second chance.

Bernard Kemboi, former teacher, said, "So they suspended me indefinitely, and I have been out in the cold from 2021 until this year when I went back to them, and they told me the only way they can help me is when I have reformed, and prove it, then they can take me to class."

Bernard Kirui, former police officer, said, "If given the chance and reinstated back to the police service, I will execute my duties excellently, even if I'm posted in Baringo. I am pleading to be reinstated back to work so that I can take care of my family. I am still young."

The government has in the recent past intensified efforts to curb the rising trend of drug and alcohol abuse among its populace, with Interior CS Prof. Kithure Kindiki warning that security chiefs would be personally held accountable for any lapses in eliminating harmful substances within their jurisdictions.