Six football fans hit SportPesa jackpot

From left: Moses Maritim, George Irungu, Francis Mwambia and Milton Mwiti display a dummy cheque of Sh5,402,445 which is an equivalent of the SportPesa Jackpot money they each on April 19, 2016 at Best Western Hotel, Nairobi. PHOTO | CHRIS OMOLLO |

What you need to know:

  • Maritim, an employee of the Kenya Wildlife Service, said that he used over Sh40,000 in chasing after his dream.

Six lucky football fans have joined Kenya’s growing list of millionaires after winning the SportPesa jackpot.

The six shared the Sh32 million jackpot with each going home with Sh5.4 million after correctly predicting the outcome of 13 matches that were listed for play by online betting firm, SportPesa.

Milton Mwiti, 27, who hails from Meru, 30-year-old George Irungu (Dagoretti), 43-year-old Moses Maritim (Kericho) and the 29-year-old Francis Mwambia (Meru) – were all smiles after being presented with their cheques in Nairobi yesterday.
The two other winners - Albert Ratemo (Kayole) and Joseph Mburu from Kiambu – were however not present at the ceremony. SportPesa officials said that their absence was due to logistical challenges.

Speaking shortly after being handed his cheque, Mwiti passionately recalled how he laboured to hit the jackpot. “It was my second attempt. Losing is quite painful but when I failed to reach the bonus bracket (in the previous jackpot) I did not lose hope,” said Mwiti.

“I took time to research on the team’s records; home and away. I made a pledge to God and because I have won the cash through His grace, I must fulfill the promise I made to Him on Sunday.”

Irungu, a father of two, said that he had been trying his luck on single and multi-bets. He said he was planning to buy a parcel of land and invest in it with the jackpot money.

Maritim, an employee of the Kenya Wildlife Service, said that he used over Sh40,000 in chasing after his dream.

“I wept when I realised I had won. I called my wife but she couldn’t believe when I told her that I had hit the jackpot. She instead wondered whether I was day-dreaming,” the father of seven, said.