By sharon Kiburi
Christian Odell is a student at Mt Kenya University, Nairobi campus. He is pursuing a law degree .Odell is not happy because of a betting deal that went sour.
Christian comes from a family of 8 children with his parents working as civil servants. But , one dark secret keeps haunting the 24 year old who is quite reserved and sanguine in nature.
Christian is an addict of sports betting and this has cost him dearly.
The 22 year old has been in a stressful state since lost US$650 recently. “My parents sent me this money to cater for my rent and School fees. ” He is staring at an eviction notice from his Landlord at his hostel apartment as he ponders over his next move.
Odell emotionally narrates his ordeal , “My instincts felt that it was my time to win the jack pot , Scenarios of how I could be the next millionaire kept running through my mind on repeat like a familiar music beat .”
“I needed to go all in, coincidentally my parents had just sent me the money to pay for rent for the month which was fifteen thousand Kenya shillings which was already overdue” He talks of the $150 with a far long face “But I needed this win I could feel it in my gut” he says.
He claims to have been in denial for a whole day till he made a conscious decision to just wake up from the dream and met his friends. They listened to him narrate his story and they found that it was humorous and could not help but laugh at him hilariously.
Sadly, Christian’s predicament is not unique, as more and more young men in Kenya turn to football betting which they see as an easy way to make money.
In Kenya , youth unemployment rate stands at 22.2 percent with many graduates from Colleges and Universities tarmacking looking for a job not to mention the many youths looking for casual jobs.
Unemployment has wreaked havoc on young people who are the product of a system that has taught them that all must do to succeed in life is to do well in school and they will secure a job to succeed in life.
Against this backdrop, many turn to gambling to earn quick monies that will fund their ideal good life. For many college youths like Christian who depend on their struggling parents they use the betting money to top up the cash and live an ideal life pressured by their peers.
But for many, the chance of winning big becomes all consuming and they become obsessed on the idea of hitting a jackpot, rather than their initial purpose of getting into gambling.
Gambling is easy in Kenya with a large number of venues, some of which operate 24 hours a day.
In the capital city of Kenya, Nairobi which has an estimated population of 4 Million people has only 6 Libraries while gambling dens are littered in every corner.
According to the World Casinos Directory shows that Nairobi alone has 11 Casinos we also made a manual count of betting parlors in the Central Business District and found there were 30 parlors.
The sports betting frenzy that has gripped most Kenyan men and especially the youth as reported by in various media out let’s has led to a growing number of people committing suicide and has destroyed lives and broken up homes.
In fact, the impact of betting is so far reaching that Kenya’s Sports Cabinet Secretary Hassan Wario has called for a halt to the registration of new betting companies. Addressing a recent rules and regulations meeting of national sports funds, Dr. Wario called for the establishment of a Lottery office to regulate the proliferation of gambling companies and outlets in Kenya .
Driving the sports betting frenzy is a belief among young men that to be really attractive to women, all they need is to get rich. They also face pressure because men are always expected to pick up the tab for women in a social setting, and from parents who expect them to take care of the family and support them financially.
For students like Christian coming to Nairobi the Capital city is a dream come true as he is seen to have come to the City where many dreams come true, coming from the Coastal city of Mombasa which is over 500 Km from Nairobi.
Like many of his counterparts he had to be part of a group and he may have just landed on the wrong one. His need to prove himself to his friends led him to believing and he is the master of the sport betting a habit him and many young men are accustomed to taking part.
Kenya is currently facing a harsh economic situation pitting the current inflation rate as of December 2017 at 7.98% as per Central Bank of Kenya (CBK), this makes it hard enough for any student in campus with no income to pass the gentry bar. The boy-child with no disposable income and all the peer pressure could easily succumb to depression.
Looking for medical help or therapy in such instances would be a no go zone for such young men as it is seen as a taboo of sorts in the African culture. This makes it even hard for both parents and medical practitioners to tell the signs as many opt to suffer in silence.
In the twenty first century, instant close to everything, patient is no longer a virtual most treasured, young men want to make it now and sport pesa, bet yetu and bet in appears to be the answering to the much needed prayers of money now.
However the society is cultured in a way that does not necessary encourage the young people to grow in their career. Hence it is not surprising when the young men turn to watching football is involved in betting. Despite a report published on rocket science news says Watching too much of English Premier League and gambling, doctors warn are becoming a health risk to urban boys in Kenya.
Scientists at the Kenya Medical Research Institute- Kilifi say adolescents are spending too much time watching sports and gambling which is bad for their health. In their findings published last month, the team says while football should provide health benefits to adolescents in form of physical exercise for many now it is the cause of sedentary life and possibly obesity.
Weighing into the matter of betting is an Occupation therapist / psychologist Irene Kimani also a student counselor at Daystar University has practiced for over ten years now.
Irene notes the type of music many youth choose to listen to is not very positive and could lead to young people adopting behaviors that do not assist them to grow in the right character. Young minds are influenced a lot more by the values they consume in the society. “It is sad to see that young people are left to learn from music and even programs aired in the media. Parents seem to have neglected their role of parenting and steering their children in the right paths of life” she says.
Well the truth is like the sun it will always come out, a week to the final exam his parents received a reminder email on school fee clearing. Christian did not have words to tell them and his parents did not have time to indulge with him as they had seven more children to worry about.
Christian sourced for some cash to get him home at the Coast, this changed everything for him his parents did not talk to him for one year he was out of school for one year and half. It is till recently when his uncle as spoken to his parents and they considered paying for him to clear school. “During this period I felt disoriented, lost as if my life was on mark timing, I relived my actions to that incident each day.” Christian says that one year and half has been the hardest year of his life since he was last in University and in many occasions he has considered suicide but he is reminded there is a tiny chance of hope that one day the sun will shine but gambling is the one thing that he swore on his own life not to ever get into.
According to Irene there is a relationship between drugs and betting “When you are an addict of drugs there is physical and psychological dependence. When the longing to win the jackpot is as huge as the feeling an individual may feel when high that means the motivation is even higher. Hence an individual can do all that it takes to get to that point”.
In some cases Irene notes it could be borrowing money, selling home appliances, spending money intended for basic needs or even selling property.
Recovering drug addicts who are encouraged to try other hobbies may find themselves failing prey to the lottery games which becomes another addiction. The betting addiction is hard to be discovered and by the time one discovers they have a problem it often too late. Seeking psychological assistance is still a slow picking treatment in Kenya due to the outlook that counseling is labeled.
Iori Tendepi, a father of three and a Nigerian who owns an advertising and IT company in Kenya views , “I do not believe in lottery games because I do not think life should be left to chance, one needs to work and create their own advantages in life. I feel this get it quick and easy is a bad mentality that is destroying the young people.”
He is privileged to have an IT background and he thinks that just like how the Casinos rules operate the Betting companies operate under the same principal. “The citizens and a country do not benefit much from these companies because most of them are not even owned by the citizens hence funds are always taken out a country especially African countries.” says Tendepi.
According to a dissertation by the University of Nairobi, Dr. Rachel Koross. A survey conducted in Kenya showed the different reasons why young people get into betting. This includes in percentages: need for money 70%, enjoyment 15%, and boredom 10% and for all the above reasons 5%. None the less this research fails to explore the psychological and emotional insecurities and motivations that lead young people being to start and stay hooked into betting translating into additions. In a developing country where struggles is a daily cup of tea.
