I was a renowned chang'aa brewer, but my son's disapproval saw to my turnaround

"Fifteen years ago, I relocated to Nakuru town after my marriage broke down. I had two children then and I resolved to fend and educate them and give them the best that life can offer. I came from a large family and due to poverty I never went beyond primary school. In Nakuru, I started a shop but the business failed and I had to look for a job.

I got a job as a bar waitress at a club in the Shabab estate in the town's outskirts.

After three years of working, I found myself jobless and with mouths to feed. I had to think fast. My 'new lease' of life came in form of an opportunity to be a chang'aa seller in one of the estates.

After a year of selling the illicit liquor, I felt I should graduate into the business of brewing.

The operators were making good returns and I also wanted a slice of the business.

I moved to Free Area township and opened my own chang'aa den. That was in 2008 and this signaled by seven years' journey as a chang'aa brewer. Those years were dramatic.

It was a voyage that would see me having brushes with the law. I was arrested countless times but I would bribe my way out. With time, I got police informers who would tip me off before any impending raids were carried out. That way, I would be out of the way by the time the arresting officers arrived.

I also had to deal with drunkards engaged in fights which sometimes had ugly outcomes like death.

To stifle competition, I procured the services of a 'mganga mashuhuri' to 'lock in' customers or attract new ones. Similar charms were used to ward off authorities but not everything would work based on the word of the witchdoctor.

My business flourished despite the challenges. We were giving licensed bar owners a run for their money. My clients were those in the low-income bracket. Brewing was feeding my three children, paying rent, and catering for all our needs.

When I think back, I laugh at the government's strategy to eradicate illicit brews in the country. Following any raid, there would be a brief lull before the business resumed operations. And during those raids, it would be the customers and the dealers that the authorities would go for and not the brewers.

The Chang'aa business is like a tree. The roots are firmly anchored in the soil and represent the brewers. The stem represents the sellers or dealers while the leaves represent the customers. When the authorities would carry out raids, they would go for the stem and leaves leaving the root structure intact. That is why shoots will still develop and the tree flourishes once again.

2015 marked my turning point. At the time, my firstborn son, who is a talented artist, sold some drawings after being contracted. He used the money to buy food and some presents which he brought home. I was kind of surprised believing the money was from a questionable source and after a serious redress, he asked, "Would you have preferred that I drank all the proceeds?"

I was not expecting this from him. I thought he was not aware of what I did. I felt so guilty because some of my customers were even younger than him at the time. I didn't know what to do.

My resolve came after my son sold another painting and bought me an expensive pair of shoes. I did some soul searching and decided to call it quits. I was no longer going to brew or sell chang'aa.

I felt indebted to the many lives I had destroyed through my business and decided to become an advocate against illicit brews. To further the message, I formed an initiative to campaign against illicit drinking as well as reach addicts.

Through this initiative known as 'Ugali Forum', which is made of former brewers and alcohol addicts, we have been moving across the country sharing a meal of ugali with reformed addicts while enlightening imbibers and the vulnerable on the dangers of alcohol.

The forum offers life skills to those willing to quit alcohol and who want to start life afresh. We offer training in hairdressing, mat making, fashion and design, and computer studies. Classes are conducted at a facility inside the PCEA Free Area church compound, which also doubles as the forum's headquarters.

The forum also feeds children of addicts as we wean off their parents from substance abuse. Most of their expenses are catered for by well-wishers and the church. I am a happy woman today because through the programme I have seen some former addicts become successful cases who are productive in society.

Many drug and alcohol addicts are helpless and can't beat their dependency unless there are structured ways to help them out including rehabilitation."

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