Back from the brink: If you don't drink, don't start

When Lawrence stole his father's bottle of whisky from the cabinet one afternoon to enjoy with friends at a school leavers' party, he had no idea this would completely change his life. That was in 1982. Born in 1964 in Jericho Estate in the sprawling Eastlands area, Lawrence Kagambi dreamt of becoming a civil engineer. He attended Shule Road Primary School before joining Jamhuri High School and later Upper Hill for his advanced high school education.

His career however took a different direction when he stumbled on a chess board one afternoon. It intrigued him and very fast, learned the ropes of the intricate game. That is how his journey in chess started. Larry, as commonly referred to by his peers, got obsessed with the game and converted all his friends from playing football to playing chess. "I was in Jamhuri (High School), I tried to look for materials here and there, and I could pass by town and go to some bookshops to look for chess materials. I could save some coins to go buy books on chess and that is how I learnt play chess flawlessly, the hard way," he says. With his newfound passion, he honed his skills and was soon playing against top opponents from different schools. After finishing A-levels, he took chess as a fulltime career. His parents got concerned as he could play the entire day and even forego meals. In 1984, he played at his first tournament at the Kenya Open under-21 category, where he was the second runners-up, scooping Sh600.

THE LONG ROAD DOWN The win was an eye-opener that this game could actually earn him a living. At his young age, however, Kagambi had very few responsibilities and the money was all spent on alcohol. "Between 1984 and 1986 is when my drinking problems started. Any tournament I would win, I could spend all the cash on drinks. I joined Kenya School of Professional studies for a whole year, but all the money my parents gave me ended in drinking joints," He got into partying a lot with friends with the money he got from the tournaments and was soon a hardcore drinker. Despite the drinking, his star in chess was rising. He was becoming a household name in Nairobi and the neighbouring towns. In 1988, together with other five players, he was selected to represent the country in the World Chess Olympiad in Thessaloniki, Greece.

"By then I was arguably among the top 10 players in the country. I won seven straight games and I was in the team. I was suspended for two weeks for drinking but because I really wanted to be in the team and prove to my parents that chess could take me places, I still worked on my game." He took his drinking and partying to Greece during the tournament, where they teamed up with other Kenyan students who were residing in the country. They could drink through the night and stagger their way back to the playing tables, but still he managed to perform very well at the games. But by then, he could not do without a drink.

THE UNWAVERING STAR "When I was coming back from Greece, I was on a wheelchair. I could not walk, I had drunk a lot and it continued in the plane. Three quarters of the money I had won was spent on drinking. My family could not believe it." That notwithstanding, his chess star kept shining. In 1989, his career had peaked, and he got a job at Housing Finance Corporation based on his chess prowess. In 1990, he became the National Chess Champion, the top most level one could reach then. At HFCK, he got a loan facility to buy a house on mortgage in Komarocks, becoming a landlord and earning a good salary. Being a national champion, he acquired celebrity status and could now move around the country playing in numerous tournaments, his life was back on track again, or so it seemed.

DESOLATE "I was now drinking up to 4am every day and waking up at 6am to go to work. One day I collapsed at work, and thus it did not come as a surprise when I was sacked in February 1992." Having lost his job, Kagambi sold his house and made a net profit of Sh150, 000. With this amount in his account, he literally lived in drinking joints. "One month down the line, all was gone; the money, job and house, all gone. That is when I became hopeless and helpless, because by this time my family had started rejecting me. I did not have anywhere to stay, and I went back to my parents' house and slept on the couch," With no job, he had to find ways of quenching is thirst. He resorted to cheap liquor. The situation got worse and he could spend nights in police stations; arrested for being drunk and disorderly, and had several near-death experiences. In 1995, Kagambi was desperate. He had no family, no friends and everyone avoided him. He could take a bath twice a month and he was staring death right in the face.

"By 1996, I had given up on my chess. I did not have cash to register for tournaments, and I felt I had gotten to a point where I did not give the game my best because I was not practicing. I relocated and moved to Ruai and my mum paid my rent. I was not in good terms with my dad and I could move around asking my relatives for some coins that I could use to buy chang'aa. I became a bother and everyone avoided me." When he could not get any money for drinking and was suffering from withdrawal symptoms, he could reflect on the best moments of his life, and it gave him the desire to change.

THE LIFELINE One day, he got a bible from his sister and started reading it. The scriptures could have an impact, but still, he could not find his way out of alcoholism. One day, he found a fellowship service going on near his mother's grocery stall and the pastor prayed for him. This, he says, changed his life. "I became at peace when my mom accepted me back in her house. A huge burden had been lifted off my shoulders, I was looking for restoration, and I wanted to go back to chess and my friends," Kagambi soon made a comeback in chess and went on to become the Secretary General of Kenya Chess Association from 2001 to 2012. He now earns a living as a chess trainer and arbitrator with different schools including Kenton, Winka Academy, and Visionary School.

He works with the young children. Someday, he plans to get into motivational speaking. "Alcoholism is a serious disease, worse than AIDS because it can take you many years down the road. Unfortunately, in our current setup, we think alcoholics enjoy when they drink, we never take it serious. When one is an alcoholic, they are in captivity; they cannot come out of it," he concludes.