How I lost Sh50,000 after being drugged with 'Mchele' in a Nakuru club
A photo showing a glass of wine.
This is the kind of story that John Kariuki thought would remain a myth for him, not something he would one day live to tell.
You see, after years of employment, he was thrilled when the time came for him to retire.
To celebrate his freedom from the shackles of employment, John decided to move back to his home town of Nakuru and paint the town red with some of the money from his retirement package.
"I remember taking a big chunk of my pension to go out with my friends. Looking back, it was the stupidest decision I have made in a long time," says John with a slight smile.
Ready for a night to remember, John met his friends at one of Nakuru's famous nightclubs.
After a few shots, John's voice could be heard over the club's loud music saying, "Another round on me and a couple of shots for that table over there.
It wasn't long before John and his boys took to the dance floor and caught everyone's attention.
"As the night went on, one of my friends suggested that we get some ladies to join in the celebrations. Since I had good money in my Mpesa, I thought why not," he said.
Like moths attracted to light, the ladies were drawn to the never-ending supply of alcohol and joined John's table.
"My friends and I would occasionally leave the drinks with the ladies and just go to the dance floor to have a good time," said Kariuki.
A few minutes after the ladies joined their table, John began to feel dizzy.
"The room started spinning and the music was suddenly playing in slow motion and I started to regret drinking too much," he said.
He then decided to leave the club and check into a nearby hotel.
Also Read: Why Clubs in Nakuru Die
"I just remember telling my friends how high I was and that I was going to check into a lodging with one of the ladies. The next thing I knew, I woke up the next day without my phone, wallet, car keys and belt," he recalls.
It was then that he realised he had been drugged. "I never thought I would be a victim of Mchele," he said.
As he made his way to the reception of the hostel, the receptionist began to demand payment for the room, threatening to call security on him.
"I tried to tell her that all my valuables had been stolen. Of course, she didn't believe me and kept shouting that I had to pay. I then used the reception phone to call my friends for help," Kariuki said.
While all this was going on, John says he was still under the influence of the Mchele drugs, feeling dizzy, nauseous and with a really bad headache.
"One of my friends picked me up and took me to the hospital and I found out that I had been unconscious for almost eight hours. I remember being given painkillers and told to drink lots of water," he said.
Speaking to Mtaa Wangu, pharmacist Albert* explains that Mchele actually refers to drugs prescribed to calm people with mental health problems, or drugs used as anaesthetics.
"The most common drug used as Mchele is Rohypnol, which is a blue drug. These drugs should not be available without a prescription, but people buy them from pharmacies under the counter," he notes.
When I ask how much the Mchele pills cost, he says: "It depends on the dosage you want, but the cheapest is around Sh500 for 10 tablets.
"If you are unconscious for more than a day, you need urgent medical attention. But if you've been unconscious for a few hours, all you need to do is drink plenty of water and take a painkiller if you have a headache," says Albert.