Billionaire entrepreneur, Christopher John Kirubi once tried his hand in gambling and suffered a ‘huge’ loss.
In a recent interview with Kameme FM, Kirubi recalled a day, in his youth, when he lost all the money he had on himself-Sh20.
The successful businessman, who last year appeared at position 31 on Forbes’ list of Africa’s 40 Richest, narrated that he was introduced into gambling by his friend while they were on their way home from work.
Kirubi then used to repair gas cylinders for Shell Company in Nairobi and was living in a “mabati” house in Kibera.
“We were at the Railways Bus Station when my friend lured me to play“kamari”. There were three cards and one had to choose the card with a picture of a horse on it to win. I placed my 20 bob as I was almost sure I had identified the winning card. To my disappointment, I lost the money which was meant for transport and supper,” he recalled, adding that from that day, he never gambled again.
The owner of the biggest shopping mall in Kenya, Two Rivers Mall Ruaka in Ruaka, attributes rising poverty among the Kenyan youth to gambling addiction.
“Poverty is just a state of mind and young people who have been affected by it must develop the right mindset to free themselves. The youth must learn to create opportunities for themselves in order to enhance their livelihoods. Gambling is not one of them,” Kirubi said.
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