Charles Wanjohi, a Kenyan businessman, has narrated how he almost lost himself in the world of gambling.
Speaking on KBC, Wanjohi revealed he started gambling in glamorous casinos in 2023 after being introduced by friends.
However, what he thought would change his life for the better changed it for the worse as he was left with huge debts and fighting gambling addiction.
“I remember I sacrificed school fees for my son and ended up gambling all of it. When my son was almost being sent away from school because of school fees, I remember asking myself, but I had that amount two days ago, I could have just paid,” he said.
He recalled how he was always broke despite getting a lot of money from his business which he says was very profitable.
“I started realising that there was money coming in but I didn’t have cash in my pockets. Trying to trace back, I see my M-Pesa running well and my clients have already paid. I was in debts every time and yet I was doing a profitable business,” he added.
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His decision to quit gambling followed a Sh320,000 loss which left him questioning his future financial life.
As per his narration, Wanjohi had just received a Sh800,000 payment after completing a solar-solutions supply. He would then start gambling using the money and ended up losing Sh320,000.
“The cheque cleared at around 12AM and I started gambling with Sh10,000, then Sh20,000 and finally ended up using Sh320,000. That was the turnaround,” he said.
Dr Alfred Gitonga, a consultant psychiatrist at the Mathari Mental Teaching and Referral Hospital, said that in the beginning people gamble for fun, but then it evolves into something else.
“In the beginning, you have this illusion of control, but as time goes on, the gambling takes over your life, then you assume a system of desperation, and when the losses become too much then mental health problems and financial issues assume,” he said.
