Nana Gecaga, the CEO of the govt-owned Kenyatta International Convention Centre, is celebrating 22 years of sobriety.
The 43-year-old marked the remarkable milestone on Sunday, June 4, saying she is proud of herself for remaining committed to her sobriety.
“22 years of being sober. I just want to thank everyone who has played a role in supporting me to get this far. Lastly, I want to thank me, myself and I. I have to give credit where it is due,” she wrote on social media.
Nana continued: “I’ve remained COMMITTED TO MY SOBRIETY, I’ve put it FIRST ALWAYS and been very PROUD of where I have come and where I’m going. It takes COURAGE to go against the grain and it takes HUMILITY to not only realise YOU have a PROBLEM BUT THEN COMMIT THE ENTIRE REST OF YOUR LIFE TO CHANGE IT FOR THE BETTER. #youareonlyasstrongasthepeoplearoundyou #surroundyourselfwithlikemindedpeople”
In a past interview, the niece of President Uhuru Kenyatta said she would have been an Olympic athlete were it not for overindulgence in alcohol during her younger years at a university in the United Kingdom.
“My first year in the institution was very rocky and that’s when things started to fall apart. I became an alcoholic after that and I was forced to go to rehab at the age of 21. Back then I would take 24 bottles of beer daily and a half or a full bottle of liquor,” she said.
“Being a kid there were many things I wanted to become- a president, an athlete and many more things but alcohol ruined these dreams. My passion was actually in sports, I love football, basketball and I even qualified for the 1996 summer Olympics held in Atlanta Canada. My biggest regret is that I missed out on the Olympics even after qualifying because at the time I had overindulged in alcohol. Now I look back and say it was my time to do service,”Ms Gecaga said.
“My battle with alcohol has taught me a lot; for sure it builds character. I have learnt it takes strength to acknowledge that there is a problem. After doing this one can deal with the issue,” she said.