This archive report was first published on 18 November 2019.
On November 18, 2019, a woman in Cheborge, Kericho County, shocked her in-laws by announcing her intention to leave her husband due to his addiction to sports betting.
Miriam Chebet, the wife, has expressed her frustration with her husband, Boniface Kosgei, who has become a 'gambling zombie' after being introduced to betting by his friends.
What started as a weekend pastime, where Kosgei spent less than Sh200 in betting, has spiralled out of control, with him now blowing up over Sh1000 in a day or two.
The situation took a turn for the worse when Kosgei invested a whopping Sh20,000 meant for buying farm inputs in a bet, which he lost, leaving him and his wife devastated.
Despite efforts by his kin, including pleas from his mother-in-law, Kosgei insists that he can only stop betting once he wins big, to recover all the cash he has invested in the game.
His marriage now hangs in the balance as his wife claims that he has been losing money day in day out while claiming that his time to win big is yet to come.
