What would you do if you got a Sh. 11.2 million windfall today? Well, the most probable answer is a lot. But when you have never touched as much as Sh. 10,000, chances that such a windfall might have you running crazy are not so far-fetched. In fact, the temptations that come with getting such a heavy cash windfall is the primary reason why financial advisor and planners come in handy.
Indeed, there are cases of men going broke after spending millions in a manner they cannot explain. One of such men is Gabriel Lengishili. He had never touched Sh. 10,000 in his life until 1983 when his fortunes changed.
According to a story that was published in the Daily Nation, Gabriel got a Sh. 11.2 million windfall. He married five wives and bought a top of the range Toyota Land Cruiser. Then he went broke.
How did this happen? According to the story, Gabriel had been grazing his father’s goats in Naichumunye hills when he spotted something that looked like a watch and picked it up. The item started blinking once he picked it up. He called his fellow boys to come take a look. As the boys ran towards him, the item exploded.
“I woke up with neck, head, chest, leg and hand injuries at Meru Hospital. My thumb and index finger were missing,” he said in the story. Apparently, the item was a bomb and Gabriel was one of the many victims of bombs that were left behind in Samburu by British soldiers.
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Years later, at the age of 36, Gabriel got a reprieve when the UK government announced a British compensation Kenya program. Together with 229 other victims, Gabriel opened a bank account at Stanbic Bank, through which he received a whopping Sh. 11.2 million.
He told the daily newspaper that after getting the cash, he traveled to Nairobi and bought a Toyota Land Cruiser at Sh. 2.8 million. By then, he had not even learned how to drive and had to hire a driver.
He then went to the Archer’s Post township and started a hardware business. To top it all, Gabriel married married two more wives to bring his total number of wives to five.
The report in the daily further said that on the day he got the money, Gabriel had made a cash withdrawal of Sh. 200,000 which he used to buy beer for his friends. He also hired cars to carry his drunk friends home.
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At some point, Gabriel disappeared for close to four months. He was spotted eating life with a big spoon in expensive hotels in Nyahururu and Nanyuki. In his absence, his hardware business crumbled.
Six months later, he sold the Toyota Land Cruiser at Sh. 800,000, which he went on to spend in a lavishing town lifestyle. Broke and dejected, Gabriel, now 54, returned to the village where he now spends his days wallowing in regret. British Compensation Kenya.