CABU GAH DIARIES :10 Reasons Why Kenyan Celebrities End Up In The Life Of Poverty,Drug Abuse And Destructive Alcoholism.

 

After Mzee Ojwang’s tale of sickness and supposed neglect, leading to his death and what seemed to be an ignominious exit from Earth from one of Kenya’s greatest TV legends, focus was shifted to Mzee’s obvious love of the bottle. And that of his KBC colleagues too.

Earlier in the week,we told you about the destructive alcoholic tendencies that gobbled up all of Mzee’s fat earnings at KBC. And also that of Ngomongo, his KBC counterpart and longtime friend. It was also revealed that all the bad rap that KBC had been receiving was really unwarranted… Because,to be honest,KBC would pay these screen legends hefty amounts of money only for them to blow it up at a whim at their favorite watering holes. And blow they did.

We also told you of other local actors including Omosh of Tahidi High and Marlboro of Churchill Show who were also caught up-and still allegedly are-in the life of runaway alcoholism and wanton wastage of salary on beer.

And those are just the few actors that we know.

A disheveled Louis Otieno.

A story was done one former TV star’s Louis Otieno’s sad state and admission to hospital after a serious battle with alcohol for decades.

Rapper DNA too,formerly of Grandpa Records,has had such a brutal fight with alcohol that,on a performance tour of Dubai, he attempted suicide before deciding to turn his life around and get born again. And then ditched the Lord for the secular world again!

Well, why do our TV stars fall so hard? So deep? And so fast?

Why are our local celebrities caught up in such a ruthless Web of alcoholism and endless wastage of money and the little-known much-they earn from their performances?

We explore.

1. TOO MUCH FREE TIME
Most of our celebs have way too much time on their hands. And with very little to do and no other side hassles or any other activities to keep them engaged and focused, they tend to focus all of their energies in spending the way too much free time they have engaged in hedonistic activities. And that includes women and alcohol. Since they largely depend on LIVE shows or TV gigs for their salaries, which don’t happen everyday, these stars have too much time and very little to do with it. Also, local actors shoot entire seasons of a TV show in a week or two and therefore spend all the free time they have blowing up the salaries they get for their TV appearances per episode.

2. AGE
Most of our celebs are young kids in their 20’s. That, however, is not a case exclusive to Kenya; many celebrities across the World are young and in their 20’s anyway. And so,at such a young age, their blood is understandably hot and restless and thus the desire for endless parties and Alcoholism. And that’s where we find ourselves.

3. HUGE SALARIES
No Industry,worldwide,is quite as remunerative as the entertainment industry. Hunk actor Nick Mutuma has confessed to have pocketed as much as 0.8 million for a simple movie role. Citizen TV actors are also said to be very well paid. Local singers too,Sauti Sol,Octopizzo, Bahati and Victoria Kimani do get very high performance fees too. Well, what to do with all that money!!? Drink drink and more drink.

4. COMPANY THEY KEEP
Most of our local celebrities are very poor at choosing productive company. They’re surrounded by a bunch of spineless ‘Yes’ men who pander to their whims and whose core business is to massage their (celebs) egos and do the dirty work for them. But most Celebs are surrounded by the wrong company anyway… Chris Brown, Justin Bieber, Bruno Mars, Tyga. And thus, the lack of self-control and the more they sink into a life of debauchery, drug-abuse and drunkenness. Wrong. Company.

5. PRESSURE
No one is under more pressure on Earth than a Leader and a Celebrity. A leader is under pressure to deliver, impress and win over the masses(Read Kidero and his grass,haha) and a celebrity is under pressure to not just stay afloat but also stay at the top and stay winning. All the time. Nothing is as bad as a decline for a celebrity. They’re under pressure to always remain at the tip of their game, under pressure to release hit song after hit song, under pressure to put out quality material and epic music videos and under pressure to pull off an electric performance and still never go down musically or artistically. And we all know the number one solace for pressure right?! Alcohol! Yes, it is!

6. THE NATURE OF JOB
The entertainment industry is one industry that, by the mere virtue of itself, calls for partying and hedonism and indulgence. Unlike the teaching or the business and marketing Industry, or even the medicine industry, The entertainment industry, world over,is the place where work and alcohol mix perfectly… The industry where you can show up stoned or drunk to work and get away with it. The industry where much of the activity is carried out by stoners and alcoholics and in entertainment joints. You just cannot avoid it.

7. THE DESIRE TO IMPRESS
Our celebrities want to make a statement; We are not just paid but paid very well and so, go ahead and have a beer. Have two. Or three. Or even four. And no, don’t worry… I’ll pay. I’ll pick up the tab. I’ll sort the troubles.. Just knock yourselves out, I’m in charge! As a celebrity,especially in Kenya, fans and friends look up to you to buy them beer and ‘treat’ them almost every weekend. And that’s where the pull comes in from. And one you’re sucked up into the maze,you can never get out. Never!

8. CREATIVITY 
Many celebs are said to be on their creative best while drunk. They perform better on stage while either high or drunk. They write better music or even act better if they’re not in their sober selves. Omosh is a case in point, many other local stand-up comics,especially from Churchill Show are said to always insist on being drunk first before hitting the stage. Or writing comedic material. To some,creativity comes from a state of drunkenness. Or lack of sobriety. Well…..

9. LACK OF FINANCIAL MANAGERS/ADVISORS 
Unlike in the West (Hollywood) where most celebrities do have financial managers and salaried financial advisers,who are paid to manage their funds for them and advice them on proper spending ways and how to not blow money on extravagance, our local celebrities do not have financial experts who can take them through proper usage of money and who can offer them proper investment advice and savings plan. They rely on their friends and family for financial advice. Michael Jackson terribly needed expert financial advisors. But as it turned out, he ignored them all. And sank into bankruptcy fast. 50 Cent, too, might need a financial advisor. Or maybe he has the BEST in the World. Rihanna just did a song ‪#‎BBHMM‬ dedicated to her former financial manager who screwed her finances up and bungled up her accounts. Our local celebs need to surround themselves with financial experts. Fast!

10. DRINKING NATION… 
Well… Kenya is a proud drinking nation. What do you expect!? A nation that,anticipating Obama’s visit, started getting drunk from Thursday evening to Sunday evening. We are a nation that looks for the slightest excuse to get drunk. And totally wasted. Well, you cannot blame your celebs for it now,can you!? They’re just a part of us. They’re just an extension of us. The famous version of us.

There you have it… We have a long way to go. And we are yet to see more celebrities get lost and dragged into the destructive life of alcoholism and drug-abuse…

This may just be the beginning. Maybe.