Gachagua reveals how alcohol once made his life stall as he warns against drinking in Mt Kenya
By Steve Ireri, September 26, 2026Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has opened up about his drinking days before salvation, revealing that alcohol use once affected the progress of his life as he renewed his warning against excessive drinking and illicit brews in Kenya.
Speaking to Kenyans in Dallas, Texas, on Saturday, September 26, 2026, Gachagua reflected on his personal experience with alcohol before turning to Christianity, saying he had some knowledge of the effects of drinking because he had been a drinker himself.
“I have some little experience (with alcohol) because I used to drink before I got saved,” Gachagua said.
The former deputy president went on to credit his wife, Pastor Dorcas Rigathi, with helping him abandon alcohol, saying his life began to improve after she persuaded him to stop drinking.
“And I want to thank her because since she talked me out of it, I have really succeeded. Mambo yangu ilikua inakwama sana,” he said.
Gachagua explained that his drinking was largely confined to Fridays and Saturdays, describing it as a habit that he had managed to contain to specific days of the week.
“But she can tell you, I only used to drink on Friday and Saturday, two days,” he said.
He, however, used the personal experience to illustrate what he described as the wider consequences of alcohol abuse, particularly for families dealing with addiction and excessive drinking.
Gachagua said the effects of alcohol abuse extend beyond the person consuming it, arguing that the habit can cause pain for parents, spouses and other members of the family.
“It’s so painful to our parents, to our women, to everybody,” he said.
His remarks came as he revisited the alcohol crackdown that he previously led while serving as Deputy President, saying the country had already made progress in tackling illicit brews before the initiative was, in his words, “sabotaged”.
Gachagua said he intends to continue pushing the issue, declaring that the fight against excessive drinking would return to the centre of his agenda.
“Next year, the fight will continue,” he said.
He also criticised what he described as a culture of drinking throughout the day, arguing that Kenya should not become a nation where alcohol is readily consumed around the clock.
“Kenya is the only country where people drink for 24 hours,” Gachagua said.
The former deputy president further referred to his previous efforts to tackle illicit alcohol, saying he had publicly led a crackdown on illegal brews before the initiative was disrupted.
“It is in the public domain that I successfully led the crackdown on illicit brew before that particular initiative was sabotaged,” he said.