John Manase Buko from Tana River County is the newest millionaire to walk away with the Ksh 24.8 Million mCHEZA Jackpot.
When the soft spoken winner received the confirmation message late Sunday evening, he kept mum, and only told his uncle with whom he lives with in Mombasa. John, who works as a mechanical engineer at a power plant in Mombasa, is a twin and the second of six children. Speaking during the press conference to receive his prize, John, 29, noted that winning the mCHEZA Jackpot required extensive research on the games and the teams’ history.
“This is not the first time I have placed bets; I have had my fair share of losses. I therefore learnt to study the matches and the teams, keep records of their previous performance then place my bets. I am grateful that with all the research and hard work, I have finally won the jackpot,” said John, showing his calculations.
John set up a few small scale businesses among them hawking mangoes in Mikindani to get through school. He aspires to use his newly acquired wealth to set up a service station to fix vehicles, owing to his passion for mechanical engineering.
Although he has joined the millionaires’ club, he appreciated his current job, and showed no signs of quitting. He also acknowledged the support of his uncle Eng. Mwaka Mungatana who was with him to receive his reward.
“Even though I have won Ksh 24.8 million today, I am passionate about mechanical engineering so I will still go back to work. The power plant enables me maximize my potential as an engineer, and also creates an opportunity for me to set up my garage business. I would like to thank my uncle for holding my hand through it all,” added John.
The event was attended by representatives from Betting Control and Licensing Board and financial advisors, Viva Consulting. While congratulating the winner, mCHEZA Chief Executive Officer Peter Karimi expressed commitment that the platform would continue support him with financial advice.
“We are proud that John is a young, talented and resilient person, and this jackpot has opened doors to enable him expand his business ventures. In our presence are top notch financial counselors who will equip him with the necessary financial management skills to ensure that his business thrives,” said Peter.
Personal Finance Consultant at KCB Peter Muli encouraged the new winner too
On her part, mCHEZA Director Julie Gichuru commended the winner for his patience, and encouraged customers to make sober gaming decisions. She added that the platform will continue to seek out and support talented youth in sports across the country.
“We are happy that we have been able to transform John’s life today, bringing him closer to his dreams. I would like to encourage our customers to play wisely and have fun in the process. Additionally, as you place your bet, part of it is changing lives of talented sports persons, and building their sporting careers,” said Julie
The sports gaming platform which was launched in December 2015 has been on a fast growing trend, working with international gaming partner, Intralot, a global leader in gaming. The company recently launched their online play platform to include 20 other sporting fields, with over 100 markets in football. mCHEZA is also using its platform to contribute to the growth of the sports industry in Kenya by supporting talent development through various initiatives like the partnership with Green Sports Africa, Sports Personality of the Year (SOYA), rally ace Tejas Hirani among others to nurture talented athletes in Kenya.
The platform recently partnered with Kenya 7s National Coach Benjamin Ayimba to host the mCHEZA 7s Rugby Festival to nurture talented rugby players from across the country. The tournament is scheduled to take place at the Kenya Harlequins on 25th June 2016.
