Ezekiel Oimba, a Kenya Ferry Service employee, is the winner Sh22 million Sportpesa jackpot.
The 39-year-old Oimba was on Christmas Eve awarded a dummy cheque of his prize at City Mall, Mombasa. The visibly overjoyed father of four said that he has been placing bets for the last three years and he could not believe he had won when contacted on Saturday with the good news.
“Betting had become a hobby since 2016. I got the message that I had won I did not believe. I later called my wife and informed her,” he said.
Oimba said that he was not planning to quit his ferry job but he will invest the Sh22,244,187 midweek jackpot in real estate. “Work is very important, if this was a mega jackpot I would have thought about quitting but for now I will still go to work after the holidays,” he added.
“I have always dreamt to venture into a real estate business and I am sure the money will help me make this dream come true.”
Apart from real estate investment, the latest millionaire in town plans to take his family on holiday to a yet to be decided destination to celebrate Christmas.
“My family is my priority and I will let them go wherever they will decide although personally I cannot travel out of the country because of a surgery I recently underwent,” he said.
His wife, Lilian Awini, expressed her joy after receiving news of the windfall. “My husband has been betting for a long time. I always helped him with money when he had none to place the bets and I am happy that his efforts have borne fruits,” said the primary school teacher at a private school in Likoni.
Oimba said he got inspired after Samule Abisai won the first mega jackpot of Sh221 million. The highest pay out he has ever received from the wagers is Sh24,000.