A Form Two student was brutally murdered by unidentified assailants in Kitui, Kenya, days after winning a Sh200,000 (Ghc18,000) lottery from the sports betting company Betika. Authorities are currently investigating the case.
The body of the 17-year-old boy was discovered in a thicket after being slain and dumped a short distance from his rural home in the Maliku section of the Katulani district. He had been missing for several days.
The reports claims that Syengo Nyamai, a student at Mavindini Day Mixed Secondary School, won the cash two weeks ago when betting on the 2023 Carabao Cup final between Manchester United and Newcastle United. On February 26, the game took place at Wembley Stadium in London, United Kingdom.
Mr. Munyithya Nyamai, his older brother, claimed that Syengo registered a Safaricom SIM card using a neighbor’s national identity card and then used it to register for the lottery without informing his family that he had won Sh200,000.
“We reported to the area chief that the boy was missing because it wasn’t his nature to disappear without informing the parents,” his brother said.
Syengo had earlier urged his mother to arrange for his transfer to a boarding school, promising to contribute to the cost of the increased tuition without providing any other information.
According to Mr. Nyamai, his brother revealed how he won the jackpot to two of his close friends. Also, he informed them that he would be leaving the following week to see some acquaintances in Likoni, Mombasa County.
On the morning of February 27, Syengo was last spotted leaving for school as usual, but he never made it there.
He had previously watched the Carabao Cup Final and stayed up late with the two young companions, who have since been held by authorities looking into the crime, at the neighborhood shopping center.
When Syengo failed to arrive home in the evening on the second day, his family was concerned. Upon inquiry, they learned that he had not gone to school.
“We reported to the area chief that the boy was missing because it wasn’t his nature to disappear without informing the parents,” his brother said.
As the investigation into his whereabouts continued, one of his two friends—who is currently in police custody—came forward and informed his family that Syengo had informed them of his intentions to visit Mombasa and that he was to get in touch with them once there in order to replace his mobile line.
‘’The fellow told us our brother gave him his Sim card registration particulars, including the ID number used, mobile number, M-Pesa Pin and the mobile handset lock Pin to help in replacing the line that had won the Betika bonus,” said Mr Nyamai.
Six days after he was last seen, on Saturday, March 4, his body with the eyeballs gouged out was found in a thicket.
Motorcycle tire traces were present at the area where his body was discovered, indicating that he may have been slain somewhere and transported there on the bike.
His eyes were gouged out, his right hand was shattered, and he had injuries to his skull, according to a post-mortem performed at the Kitui County Referral Hospital.
Collins Karanja, the director of Katulani DCI, stated that police had acquired custody orders from the court allowing them to arrest the two suspects who were last seen with the student and question them.
“There’s very little we can divulge at the moment because the investigations are at the preliminary stage, but so far, we are holding two suspects and we are keen to establish the motive of the murder,” said the detective.
Police are particularly interested in learning who the student last spoke to and whether any gambling winnings were taken out of the cell line.
When contacted for a response, Betika’s head of communications, Kate Arudo, stated that they were not aware of the situation and that anyone under the age of 18 is not allowed to gamble.
“As a betting company, all we know is that any mobile number participating in our lotteries is duly registered as per the law, and we have no way of verifying if it’s being used by third parties or underage persons,” said Ms Arudo.
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