How AA’s message first reached Kenya, one story at a time.

In 1971, two recovering alcoholics — an Irish journalist and a woman from Santa Barbara, California — traveled thousands of kilometers to Nairobi, Kenya. Their goal was simple yet profound: to carry the AA message to those still suffering. At a public meeting at Holy Family Basilica, they stood before a crowd of 150 and shared deeply personal stories of addiction, near-destruction, and the freedom they had found in sobriety.

Among those listening was a young man named Daman G, who saw himself reflected in their experiences. That meeting marked the beginning of the first AA group in Kenya. Neither speaker could have imagined how far their stories would reach, nor that their visit would help spark a fellowship that today spans churches, hospitals, and communities across Kenya and East Africa.

“Pass it on.” And so they did — across oceans, continents, and lives.

🕊️ The hand of AA is always there.