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Blu*3's Cindy Sanyu and Lillian Mbabazi have spoken out about why they did not step in to help their former bandmate Jackie Chandiru during her battle with addiction.
During the latest episode of the Tusker Malt ConverSessions, the duo explained that despite their concern for Jackie, circumstances made it difficult for them to offer support at the time.
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Cindy revealed that while she wanted to help, Chandiru’s family discouraged her from reaching out, fearing that her success would worsen Jackie’s mental state.
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“I tried to reach out to Jackie, but at that time she didn’t want to see me, and neither did her family. They said if she saw me, she was going to compare herself to me, and that would make her even more stressed,” Cindy explained.
Lillian, on the other hand, admitted that she needed to prioritise her own well-being before she could assist anyone else.
“I thought I needed to deal with myself before I could deal with anybody else’s issues. I knew exactly what she was going through, but I had to take a step back. She was also not ready to accept me being there for her,” she said.
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For Chandiru, the lack of support from her friends and colleagues only deepened her struggles.
She admitted feeling jealous of their success at the time, which caused her to shut them out.
“I was just jealous. I was asking myself, why is everybody else going forward, yet they cannot see that I have a problem?” she recalled.
Jackie Chandiru’s Battle with Addiction
Chandiru’s struggle with drug addiction became public in 2019 when she was admitted to rehabilitation.
Her problems started years earlier when she became dependent on pethidine, a painkiller she was prescribed for a chronic back problem. Over time, she developed an addiction, consuming up to 20 vials daily.
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Her health deteriorated, and she had multiple failed rehabilitation attempts, as well as suicide attempts.
At her lowest, she was rescued by a well-wisher who helped her get treatment at a rehab facility in Nairobi, Kenya.
Since then, she has been working towards full recovery, using her experiences to educate others about the dangers of drug abuse.
Despite the difficult past, Cindy and Lillian expressed their happiness that Chandiru is recovering.
The former Blu*3 trio is now focusing on rebuilding their careers and friendship.