How Kenyan gambler who broke nightclub’s 60-inch TV after losing Ksh397K bet cleaned the bar’s toilets for 6 months

By Jephitha Mwai.

A serial gambler in Narok County has narrated how he was forced to clean a nightclub’s toilets for six months after he damaged a 60-inch TV as he expressed his anger following loss in a multi-bet.

James Mwangi, 29, says the day was September 21, 2014 when Manchester United locked him out of a Ksh397, 000 windfall.

“I had placed bets on nine games, including one involving Manchester United and Leicester City. The match was scheduled for 2pm September 21, 2014. I was going to win Ksh397, 000 had all my predictions been correct.

“The outcome of eight of my nine bets were positive.  All those eight games were from the Chinese league. So, I was waiting only for Manchester United to win so that I could pocket a cool Ksh397, 000.

“All was going well in the first half as Manchester United led Leicester by 2 goals to 1.

Mwangi says he called a friend, who accompanied him to a nearby bar to watch the remainder of the match.

Tables turned in second half as Leicester came from behind to beat Manchester United by 5 goals to 3.

A furious Mwangi said he picked a beer bottle and smashed it against the nightclub’s 60-inch TV screen worth Ksh60, 000.

Mwangi managed to flee the scene, but the owner reported the incident at a nearby police post, leading to the arrest of the unlucky gambler.

Mwangi was asked to settle the matter out of court with the nightspot owner.

The businessman insisted Mwangi had to compensate him full amount for the damage.

Mwangi did not have Ksh60, 000 with him, and, so, he was at the mercy of the nightclub owner.

The businessman decided to transfer his then-toilet cleaner to another department and assigned Mwangi the task of cleaning the lavatories every day for six months.

Mwangi said he asked the bar owner if he could pocket Ksh1, 000 each month for his services, but the businessman rejected his request.

Despite that experience, the serial gambler, who at one time won Ksh133, 000 after predicting 14 out of 17 correct scores in a mega jackpot, says he will continue taking a stab at the betting firms’ millions.

Mwangi’s story mirrors the lives of many unemployed youth, who have resorted to betting as a way of making money in the wake of biting unemployment in Kenya.