For many years, he was the man making Kenya laugh, but behind the scenes, Onjiri the Cricket was a man wasting away.
In a raw and harrowing interview with Oga Obinna on Monday, January 19, 2026, the veteran comedian revealed the terrifying reality of an addiction that nearly claimed his life.
The actor confessed that his dependence on alcohol had reached a point where his body began to physically fail.
“I had gotten to a point where I could not hold a glass,” he narrated. “I used to shake mbaka nitoe lock (until I had that first drink).”
The most chilling moment of the interview came when Onjiri recalled the blunt interventions of his celebrity peers.
Following a string of tragic deaths in the Kenyan comedy circuit—including the loss of Othoul Othoul—friends like Jalang’o and Sandra Dacha realized Onjiri was on a similar path.
“I remember Jalang’o saying, ‘Onjiri, you are next,’ and Sandra Dacha saying the same,” the comedian revealed.
He admitted that at almost every funeral he attended, mourners would pull him aside to warn him that he was essentially a “dying man walking.”
“When it gets to a point where your friends are looking at you and they are seeing that you are dying, but there is nothing they can do because every other time you are drunk… that is the most painful part.”
Shockingly, Onjiri’s battle began decades ago in the village.
He admitted that his first taste of alcohol came in primary school, where he and other children would steal traditional brews—like chang’aa and busaa—that were hidden near rivers to ferment.
“I drank anything as long as it had alcohol content,” he disclosed.
This early habit spiraled into a 20-year cycle of denial that ravaged his health and relationships.
“The bad thing with alcohol is that you do not see it; everyone else is seeing it, but you don’t.”
While many stars turn to high-end rehabilitation centers, Onjiri says his salvation came from a personal decision and a promise to his son.
After reaching “rock bottom,” he realized he could no longer live as a disappointment.
“I didn’t go to rehab. I just decided,” he said.
“I approached my son and told him, ‘I have let you down for so long… this time round things are different. I’m not drinking again.’”
The withdrawal was brutal. Onjiri described the first few weeks as a “nightmare” of physical tremors, revealing that he even had to sip tea through a straw because his hands shook too much to hold a cup.
Clean for 880 Days
Today, Onjiri is celebrating a major milestone: two years and five months of sobriety. He credits his survival to that one moment of clarity and urges others struggling with addiction to stop hiding in denial.
“Alcohol ukianza kuikunywa kuiwacha sio rahisi,” he warned. “You have to decide for yourself that enough is enough.”
