LIQOUR PRIVILEGED
I used to think my aunt was just the “wild drunk aunt” of the family.
Back in her prime years she was everywhere. Nairobi clubs, Kapsabet lounges, road trips, nyama choma spots, random bars in every major town. Always outgoing, always laughing, always surrounded by people. Meanwhile my mom — her sister — took the traditional route. Stayed disciplined, focused on family, got married, built a stable life.
Growing up, everyone quietly treated my aunt like the cautionary tale.
But now I’m older and I’m realizing something nobody told me:
Alcohol culture isn’t just drinking. For some people it’s networking.
My aunt somehow knows MPs, governors, businessmen, senior government people, rich guys, people with actual influence. Not “Instagram famous” people — I mean real power connections.
My younger brother finished school and stayed unemployed for almost a year. Applications everywhere. Nothing.
Three weeks ago my aunt visited us. She casually said: “Let me call someone.”
I thought it was the usual Kenyan “nitakuconnect” story that goes nowhere.
Two weeks later my brother lands a job paying 200k+ a month plus benefits like rent and shopping allowances.
I’m sitting here realizing what we searched for over a year came from one random contact in my aunt’s phone.
Now I understand why some outgoing people move through life differently. Sometimes the real currency isn’t grades or even hard work alone — it’s access.
And weirdly enough, some people build that access in bars, parties, and social scenes everyone else judges.
Life is strange man.