HOW ALEX MWAKIDEU ALMOST MISSED HIS FIRST INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT BECAUSE OF DRINKING

Media Personality Alex Mwakideu has narrated his first flight experience that almost killed his budding career as a radio presenter after turning up drunk.

In an interview with comedian Oga Obinna, Mwakideu stated that he bagged a lifetime opportunity to go for an internship at Deutsche Welle and was set to fly to Bonn, Germany. At that time, he was working at Baraka FM and was earning a salary of Sh35,000 when his station manager recommended him for six-month training with an international media house.

“I was working in Mombasa at Baraka FM and landed an opportunity to go to Germany for an internship for six months. I was flying outside the country for the first time. I flew to JKIA from Mombasa and was there at around 14:00hrs, ready to take a flight to Germany at 00:45hrs. I had a lot of money and decided to call a friend with whom we spend the money together in a bar inside the airport,” Mwakideu shared.

The Milele FM radio presenter stated that he drunk a lot of alcohol and realised that he was supposed to catch his flight 30 minutes before its take-off. He added that it was the last flight, and most offices in JKIA were closed.

“The plane was about to leave, and I could see no one in the offices. The lights were also off. I was there alone, stranded and high. I asked the guard to allow me in but he said I should consult with people in the office who had, at that time, left for their homes. I begged him for a while, but he told me that I should go to my place since I was drunk. He added that my name had been called several times to no avail,” he said.

Shortly, he spotted a lady who was working for the airlines. He approached her and explained his story but said she couldn’t salvage the situation since he had not gone through all protocols like security and taking yellow fever vaccination. She decided to call her boss, who allowed him to board the flight five minutes to take off after being given a Sh2,000 bribe. “After getting into the plane, everyone was looking at me, wondering who I am and how stupid I am. I just sat down, and the flight took off. I prayed and thanked God,” he noted.