Holy Dave: Drugs, alcohol almost messed me up

 

David Muthengi, who is better known as Holy Dave, is a man of many hats. But he has generally divided his life into two, Muthengi the businessman and Holy Dave the creative.

You might have seen him on your TV as a singer, a show host and lately he's been doing a lot of cooking on his social media platforms.

But behind the screens, who exactly is David Muthengi?

“I was born in Machakos but our family moved to the US where I spent the better part of my childhood. We returned to Kenya just when I was about to join high school,” Muthengi recently told the Nation in an exclusive interview.

Muthengi recalls growing up in a strict Christian family.

“My parents were very strict and that would later negatively influence my life. My three other siblings followed different careers paths. They are in business, public health and auditing. My dad is a professor of theology and anthropology while my mum has a Masters in the same field," he said.

Muthengi, whose younger sister is media personality, Joey Muthengi, has fond memories growing up with his little sister. He says the bond between them remains strong.

“Spending time with her made me realise that we have a lot in common. We would rap, dance and just listen to music all day long,” he reminisces.

In his younger years, Muthengi says he was quiet, reserved and a very bright student. In fact, he missed his dream school, Lenana High School, with just one mark.

Holy Dave and his sister Joey Muthengi.

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High school life

He ended up joining Machakos High School, where for the first time in his life he felt he had all the freedom in the world.

“Coming from a strict Christian family I got exposed to all sorts of things, including drugs and alcohol, which really messed up my high school life. I got suspended three times and by the time I was in Form Four, I was one step away from an expulsion,” he recalls.

“I wasn’t studying as hard as I should have been, but my peers thought I was the coolest kid in school. I was very influential, the kind of kid who was always going to all the funkies and leading strikes,” he says.

His misplaced priorities in school came with a huge price. He scored poorly in KCSE.

“When I was doing my exams, my parents had given up on me. My parents actually chose not to attend the prayer day for Form Four candidates in our school. It was just as good that they stayed away because on that day I was nursing a terrible hangover in the dorms.”

The gospel artiste admits that indiscipline is what led to his poor performance.

“I was doing soft drugs, which were all around me, but I was coming from a point where I had never tasted alcohol. At some point I started smoking weed, which I always hid in my socks. The school prefects knew about it but I was untouchable. I also used mandrax, molly and other drugs," he said.

The Muthengis (from left) Mumo, Grace, Eunice, Joey and Holy Dave.

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One of the effects that he suffered was mild memory loss.

“On one occasion, while in Form Three, I struggled to remember answers during exams. I could see the formulas at the back of my mind yet I just couldn't process them. Strangely, everything came back to me after we were done with the paper,” he narrates.

Drug consumption ultimately cost him three years of his academic life. He had to do bridging courses, pre-university and take computer classes in order to secure a place in university.

“I wasted three years of my life. I pinched myself and I said, ‘Dave this is your life and you have to make something good out of it’,” he says.

Muthengi eventually put his academic life back on track. He is currently a PhD student (Entrepreneur and Small Business Development) at the University of Nairobi.

But there is one good thing that came out of his messed up high school life. He developed a passion for music.

It all started with a talent search show at the school which his elder brother, Mumo Muthengi, registered him for.

Holy Dave displays one his recipes on his online cooking show HD Kitchen.

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Passion for cooking

"I started rapping and when I did my first line everyone in the room applauded. It's then that I figured I had something special in me. Thereafter, I started rapping at events whenever I got the opportunity,” Muthengi recalls.

Years later, Muthengi is now into a multi-diversified career.

“When I was growing up I asked myself ‘why have one career, when I could have two or three? Why not diversify my portfolio?" he says.

"My dream was one day to find myself in the corporate world dressed in a suit and also in the entertainment industry rocking shows over the weekend,” he says.

Holy Dave at Kyumbi Primary School, Machakos where he donated books through the Muthengi Foundation.

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Holy Dave has achieved all that. But the outbreak of Covid-19 has brought out his other passion – cooking.

Through his online show, HD Kitchen, he has been showcasing recipes to his fans. The online show has attracted the attention of potential partners in the industry.

His inspiration comes from ambitious individuals in the society who have managed to achieve a lot in spite of their past situations.

Muthengi is currently single because - in his own words - he is a ‘complicated’ individual. However, he admits that his celebrity crush is former NTV anchor Doreen Majala.