I have won raffle five times and invested money well

Every morning, Peter Mbugua Kabaiku reports to his garage in Nairobi’s Grogan area.

It is a business that he started with Sh1,500 seed capital in 1980 after sharpening his skills during his employment.

From his proceeds, Mr Kabaiku, 50, learned how to save with a view to expanding the investment.

However, it his insatiable appetite for trying his luck at the Kenya Charity Sweepstake (KCS) that has seen him change his fortunes.

From his business proceeds, he sets aside between Sh200 and Sh2,000 every week to buy raffle tickets.

Each ticket goes for Sh50.

“I can spot a vehicle on the streets of Nairobi and decide to place my bet after taking the car’s registration number,” he said.

Mr Kabaiku is a five-time winner of the KCS and last week, he took home Sh2 million in his fifth win.

“I do not buy all my tickets from one agent. I walk from street to street, buying them from different kiosks.

"The secret is simple: buy as may tickets as you can and wait for your time to win,” the father-of-four said.

Mr Kabaiku participates in other raffles too such as Lotto, Instant Winner, and Lucky 3.

The tickets for these raffles are sold by KCS.

He remembers his first win of Sh8,000 that came in 2010 after numerous tries.

It gave him great motivation, seeing him buy even more tickets every week to chase his luck.

He believes that there is a time to win and a time to lose.

As fate would have it, Mr Kabaiku won Sh20,000 after buying Lucky 3 tickets in 2011. “I bought 20 tickets for Sh1,000,” he said.

In June this year, Lady Luck was still smiling on him as he bagged Sh40,000.

A month later, he pocketed Sh320,000 after betting on 400 tickets.

So, one wonders, what does he do with the money he wins?

Besides expanding his business, Mr Kabaiku has used part of his prize money to buy a plot for Sh850,000 at Githurai Kimbo, where he is constructing a four-bedroom house.

“I do not regret since I get value for my money. Apart from the house, I have educated my children, extended my garage, and invested heavily in a second-hand spare parts shop, which my wife manages,” he told Money.

The chairman of KCS, Mr Peter Njoroge, says the aim of the charity is to benefit people.

“By buying tickets, participants are not losers since we channel part of the money from sold tickets to help projects such as schools, homes, hospitals, the Olympic games, and fire and flood disasters, as well as assist in famine-hit areas,” he said.

However, he warned the public to be on the lookout for con men posing as agents of Kenya Charity Sweepstake.