Video: Nairobi woman recounts marrying mzungu hoping to inherit his wealth

This story has significance for readers across Kenya and beyond.

- Ann Mathu, a former beauty queen and addiction recovery advocate, opened up about her decades-long battle with alcoholism

- Ann said she began drinking at just 10 years old, a habit she traced to her father and a family history marked by addiction

- She described moving to Germany and marrying an elderly man in his 70s with a calculated plan that never came to fruition

Ann Mathu, a Nairobi-based former beauty queen and vocal advocate for people recovering from substance use disorder, has opened up about a turbulent life shaped by addiction, loss and a calculated marriage to an elderly German man she hoped would secure her financial future.

Ann said her relationship with alcohol began at the age of 10, rooted in a family environment where drinking was normalised.

Her father struggled with alcohol throughout her childhood, and she recalled accompanying him to local drinking dens, where she would take her first sips of Muratina, the traditional Kikuyu brew.

In an interview at Spice FM, she described her addiction as genetically predisposed, noting that she has lost four immediate family members to alcoholism, including her father, sister, brother and niece.

How Ann Mathu's addiction deepened

Her alcohol dependence worsened considerably after her father passed away. She later entered a five-year relationship with a doctor who also had a drinking problem, and when he died, she was left with nothing after his family took everything.

A close friend based in Germany eventually stepped in, taking her abroad in an effort to help her rebuild her life.

It was during that period in Germany that she met an older man at a pub. The two began a relationship and eventually married, though Ann was candid about the reasoning behind her decision.

"The purpose of marrying him was that he would eventually die and I would inherit his property," she said. "He was in his 70s while I was only about 39 or 40 years old. When my brother heard him caughing he encouraged me to fasted the wedding because we all knew my intention," she shared.

Her brother, whom she described as a polydrug abuser, served as her best man. The plan, however, unravelled before she could return to Germany.

Her husband died, and when she approached the German embassy in Nairobi with her marriage certificate, officials told her they could not assist her because the man had left no will.

"They didn't even know he had a wife in Kenya," she said.

22 years of sobriety

Ann has since achieved 22 years of sobriety and has redirected her experience towards helping others. She said her decision to speak publicly about her journey was deliberate and purposeful.

"My purpose for going public was to give women hope because so many women are struggling in substance use disorder. So many people are in recovery but they don't want to be identified as people in recovery because they are still ashamed. The shame is not because they feel bad about themselves it is because of the people around them and the stigma," she said.

At 40 years old, Ann's story spans three decades of struggle, survival and eventual recovery, offering a rare and honest account of how addiction, grief and desperation can intersect in ways that shape the most personal of decisions.

Source: TUKO.co.ke

Reporting originally appeared via TUKO. Read the full source for additional context.