Chief Justice David Maraga had a drinking problem for close to three decades before he turned his life around.
The Supreme Court president on Saturday opened up about his earlier love for the bottle and how it almost ruined his life.
Speaking as he delivered a sermon at Nyambaria Boys High School in Nyamira County during the institution’s alumni service, CJ Maraga said he lived the ultimate party life for about 28 years.
Accompanied by his drinking buddies, CJ Maraga moved from town to town every weekend sampling what life had to offer.
“After I finished one week, I would be like, ‘Friends, where are we going this weekend?’ We would then either meet in Nakuru, Nairobi or Kisii and spend the entire weekend enjoying,” he said.
“Generally, I thought I was living well, enjoying life, drinking and all that. What bothered me every day was my inner battle to quit the bottle, one week after the other.”
Justice Maraga revealed that his drinking problem started when he joined Kisii School from Maranda High School.
“There was a hill near Kisii School where we would go to drink. I continued with this habit all through to the time I worked as an advocate. From 1963 to 1991, I was a different person,” he said.
While working as an advocate in Nakuru, Maraga said he did not care about a lot of things besides providing necessities for his family.
“I drank hard and except for providing for the bare necessities, I ignored my family and literally mark timed for about 20 years. I did not bother to further my professional career,” the CJ added.
“But something kept bothering me and I kept telling myself that I was not doing the right thing. Towards the end of 1991, I developed a strong urge encouraging me to go to church where my wife and our daughter, who was the only child then, were attending,” he was quoted by Nation.co.ke.
The turning point for the Chief Justice came on the first day of 1992 when he quit drinking and decided to commit to his Christian faith.
“I made a decision to organise my life after having told myself that I was not born to live such a pathetic life. You are not just a statistic. God knows you as an individual. Be different. Stop being like the rest of the people in the world,” said Maraga.
Maraga, who is known for his strict adherence to the Seventh Day Adventist church beliefs, described his earlier life as wasteful, directionless and hopeless.
His sermon, which majored on having a purpose-driven life, was aimed at encouraging the youth who face many temptations, including alcohol and substance abuse.
