This archive report was first published on 15 July 2020.
On July 15, 2020, comedian Paul Wakimani Ogutu shared a personal and emotional account of his struggles with depression and alcoholism in an interview with theoriginalpadre254.
Wakimani, who was driving the car involved in an accident that killed Emmanuel Makori, also known as Ayeiya, has been sued by Makori's family for Sh21 million.
According to Wakimani, he began experiencing depression and turned to alcohol after the accident. He described feeling isolated and alone, with no one to turn to, including his colleagues at the Churchill Show.
"After the accident, I got depressed and used to drink a lot and I was drowning every day to the level that no one could understand me," Wakimani said. "I was trying to pick myself up and move on but those guys [at Churchill Show] were not understanding what I was doing with my life."
Wakimani also spoke about the pain of losing his girlfriend of almost five years, which he said contributed to his downward spiral. He recalled waking up to find himself in strange places, such as beside a road with car tires nearby.
"There are days I used to wake up napigwa makofi na makarau na watu wamesimama wanaangalia [being slapped by police officers while passers-by stared]," Wakimani said. "There's one day niliamshwa na makofi kuangalia ni polisi coz I had fought people where I was drinking the previous night and was told I had five cases of assault."
Wakimani's struggles with depression and alcoholism led to a period of dormancy on his social media pages. However, he is now seeking to rebuild his life and has urged his fans to support him in his recovery.
