Akothee's 500-Word Statement Raises Speculation Months After Wedding

Kenyan singer and entrepreneur Esther Akoth, alias Akothee, disclosed on Sunday, October 1 that she has been going through therapy following a traumatic experience that put her “in a very dangerous zone.”

In a 508-word statement posted on her social media handles, Akothee, who made headlines on Monday, April 10 owing to her glamourous wedding to her husband, Denis Schweizer, revealed that she began her second month of therapy having revealed that the trauma she went through was so severe that she went days without food or sleep, and questioned her sanity.

"Allow me to thank everyone who prayed for me in silence and everyone who walked me through the journey. I have come out of a very dangerous Zone and I have been healing in private. I am in my 2nd month of therapy.

Musician Akothee posing for a photo. /AKOTHEE KENYA

"The trauma I went through after finding out the truth & some ugly stuff that left me shaking. Went days without food and no sleep, questioning and answering myself, it has been very heavy some days, a night would just break into a day with me looking outside the window guessing at nothing," she stated in part.

According to her, she would experience shaking episodes for unexplainable reasons, before recalling that she had work that should be done, a family and her reputation to protect. Furthermore, she had to put on a strong face for the purpose of entertaining her fans.

Nonetheless, the Give It To Me hitmaker appreciated all her close friends and family, particularly her children and mother, Beatrice Schnelli-Okello as well as her best friends Nellyoaks, PLO and Vj Adams, 

"For being part of my strength. I would not have done it without you. Nellyoaks has been on speed dial he would call me nonstop and would panic when my phone went off.

"My children equally especially the girls made sure we had a face timer just to check if I was okay. Rue Followed me to Europe in fear of Losing me, babysitting me until I could stand on my feet," she went on.

Akothee went on to reveal that upon monitoring her behaviours, she discovered that she was breaking down quite often for no reason, even becoming emotionally unstable during just a simple interview.

She became emotionally unstable and couldn't put a finger on it, further revealing that she never realised she was going through emotional abuse until she began therapy.

"I was in a bad state of mind that got me to pay Ksh50,000 per hour for an hour session with the first therapist, I was shaking and losing energy, appetite, sleep, panic attacks and even lost motivation to do things I loved to do," she went on.

Akothee however urged her fans to remain calm and keep her as well as her family in prayers and advised the media to give her privacy, preferably to avoid the gossip that would spread owing to her statement.

"Allow me to go through this and once everything is okay and I am stable enough to talk about it, I will be back with Good news. 

"We are fixing some stuff off cameras, and I have made a decision, I don't want to hurt anyone not even you reading this, not at all," she reassured.

The statement came six months after the highly-anticipated wedding, which was attended by government officials among others Public Service and Gender Cabinet Secretary Aisha Jumwa, Kisumu First Lady Dorothy Nyong’o, Migori First Lady Agnes Ayacko, EALA MP Suleiman Shahbal, Langata MP Felix Odiwuor (Jalang'o) and former EACC chairperson Professor PLO Lumumba.

Questions immediately surfaced regarding Schweizer's background, though Akothee in October 2022 revealed that he was an investor and a philanthropist, not going into further details of the matter regarding the man she tied the knot with in an invite-only ceremony at Windsor Hotel in Nairobi.

Counsellors, medics, and psychologists advise that you can always reach out for help when experiencing any mental health issues. Call the Kenya Red Cross toll-free hotline, 1199, for support.