Luck knocked thrice at my door in one week

By Ramadhan Rajab

A Chinese saying goes, like lightning, good luck rarely strikes twice at the same place.

But Caroline Kitonga can wave three wads of bank notes at this saying to prove otherwise.

For her, luck has not struck just twice, but thrice and with hefty tidings.

In the first such case recorded by the Kenya Charity Sweepstake (KCS), Kitonga won Sh221,000 cumulatively in three separate raffles in one week.

“I have heard of people smile to the banks, today is my turn. But I am yet to believe my luck,” said the 22-year-old purchasing and supplies management graduate.

For Kitonga, good fortune appeared to follow her wherever she went last week.

On three consecutive days, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, she played the KCS scratch raffles and won amounts that totalled to a sum she had never dreamt of owning.

“I still can’t believe it. Someone please wake me up,” said the jobseeker as she appeared overwhelmed by the windfall.

“On Tuesday I had just sealed my internship application letters and was walking down Moi Avenue (Nairobi) to post them, when I saw a KCS agent. I decided to buy a New Happy Sweeps Instant Scratch and Win ticket worth Sh20,” she pauses and continues, “I scratched it and when I matched the numbers, I won Sh20,000.”

“I was so excited. I stopped by the street corner and started calling my brother Wycliffe Kitonga. I told him I had won a huge amount at KCS,” she said.

She woke up early on Wednesday and was among the first winners to claim their prizes at KCS’ headquarters on Mama Ngina Street.

My cheque

“I left the KCS office with my cheque and I was smiling all the way. Then, on my way out, I decided to play another raffle. I bought a Sh50 ticket, and I won, Sh1,000,” she said.

“I went right back up the office and I was paid for that one in cash,” she said.

“The winning mood was taking the better of me and I was beginning to think it was so easy to win. I had never won even a needle in a school raffle,” she said in laughter.

She was in town on Thursday and walked to the same vendor on Moi Avenue who had sold her the first ticket. She bought another ticket worth Sh20.

“I felt like I could still win some small amount but what happened when I scratched the card was beyond my wildest dreams,” she said.

“I stood at the corner of the booth and scratched. I could not help screaming out, I told the vendor, wow, I have won again. I had to pinch myself to make sure I was not dreaming. My ticket showed Sh200,000,” said Kitonga.

“I hugged the vendor through the booth window, I told him he was the best then I started walking very fast towards KCS House,” she said.

“Even the officials at KCS could not believe my luck. One asked me, you won again? Congratulations,” she said. “That was when I believed I had won a fine sum.”

Catering business

Kitonga now plans to start a catering business with her brother.

“This is a new beginning in my life, I had thought of starting a business, but I had no capital. For now I can see things looking good,” she exclaimed.

Peter Njoroge, KCS marketing manager, said Kitonga broke the company record.

“Never in our history has anyone won cumulative prizes thrice in a week, totalling to such an amount,” he said during the handing over of the big cheque.

Njoroge encouraged more people to play their raffles saying the company stands for worthy causes.

“Despite making good profits 70 per cent of our gains are channelled back to society. No one is a loser in this and we should not shy away from participating in this noble cause,” he said.

Needy person

“Even if you don’t win you have not lost the money but helped a needy person. We support any charities for needy people,” he said.

Kitonga said, “I now feel that one day I will walk away with a million shillings. If other people can win millions why not me?” she posed.

The Kenya Charity Sweepstake is the leading charitable organisation in the country.

It was inaugurated in 1966 by an Act of Parliament. The underlying foundation of the lottery company is to raise funds to assist the Government in the fight to overcome what were considered the three enemies of development at Indipendence, namely poverty, illiteracy and disease.

The organisation raises funds through the sale of instant win scratch tickets, which are sold countrywide by KCS agents and post offices on commission.

Njoroge says the organisation has a wide range of instant scratch and win tickets that cater for all age groups and are easy to play.

“The recently introduced Sh100 ticket known as Mchezaji Millionaire is the only ticket that gives the player a second chance to win in a draw.

Only non-winning tickets are eligible to enter for the second chance draw,” Njoroge said.

Mercy train

Charities that the KCS has supported this year include the Mercy Train project to feed the hungry that was initiated by The Standard Group and other organisations.

The Mercy Train became a beacon of hope during the prolonged drought as it reached out to famine-stricken families across the country.

KCS also supported the Save a Life Fund among other charity works.

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