NGO helps young betting addicts in Kenya find new life

About 15 years ago, Nickson Omondi dreamed of a life of luxury when his friend lured him into sports betting.

"We were watching an English Premier League game when he told me I could make extra money with as little as $10, which I did and won $100," said Omondi, a resident of Korogocho slum on the outskirts of Kenya's capital Nairobi.

However, little did Omondi know that it would become an addiction that would ruin his life over the next few years.

In 2018, fueled by the allure of a mega jackpot, he placed a $5,000 bet on an English Premier League game.

"I had my eye on the millions of the mega jackpot and I borrowed money from friends with one goal in mind: hitting the jackpot and paying back. After all, someone from our slum was the previous winner and his life changed completely," he said.

But luck was not on his side. After losing the bet, Omondi went into hiding, abandoning his family for more than four months.

"The addiction impacted the welfare of my family because every single dollar I had was meant for betting, not caring whether food was available, or rent was paid or not," Omondi said. It was not until 2022 that he found hope, when a friend referred him to the nonprofit Reconstruct Kenya Youth Network in Nairobi.

"Nickson was on the brink of committing suicide and he did reveal he lost close to $10,000 over 15 years since he was hooked on betting," Flavian Mbusi, founding director of Reconstruct Kenya Youth Network, said. "He has given up on everything in life, including his own family."

Like many other African countries, Kenya is grappling with a high unemployment rate, forcing many people, especially youths, to choose vices such as gambling.

Although betting is legal in Kenya and is regulated by the Betting Control and Licensing Board, authorities have been working with nonprofits to address the issue.

A 2021 survey by Reconstruct Kenya Youth Network and the Gaming Awareness Society of Kenya found that 90 percent of youths in Nairobi and the counties of Machakos and Kericho were addicted to betting.

"Their families were struggling to contain the addiction," Peninah Wanjiku Mwangi of Reconstruct Kenya Youth Network said.

With the counseling offered by the Reconstruct Kenya Youth Network, Omondi quit gambling and was reunited with his family. Now, Omondi is 29 years old and has a bachelor's degree in automotive engineering from Egerton University. He currently works as a cultural dancer with the Peace of Africa Foundation.

In Korogocho slum, where about 150,000 people live, many youths have received rehabilitation and training in entrepreneurship, coding, software development and arts. This empowers them to earn a decent living.

Through nationwide campaigns, more than 5,000 youths have been rehabilitated, Mwangi said.

The writer is a freelance journalist for China Daily.