A gambler in Kenya’s capital Nairobi on Tuesday morning went out of control slashing to death two managers of a casino after gambling and losing KShs 30,000 ($300) before he was confronted and killed by a mob.
The man identified as John Muchanga, a Tanzanian had been gambling in the City View Casino on the Tenth Street, Eastleigh area in Nairobi when he lost the money at about 12.10 am (EAT), police and other gamblers and revellers said.
Nairobi police boss Japheth Koome said Muchanga confronted a female manager there and asked her if he could borrow more cash for gambling.
“But the manager seems to have declined to lend him the cash he wanted which angered him. He walked out and came back while armed with a Somali sword which he used to first slash the woman killing her on the spot,” said Koome.
A security manager who tried to intervene and save the woman was also attacked and slashed to death.
A third person, a security manager was injured by the gambler who stabbed him in the shoulder.
Koome said it was then that a mob that had been watching the drama attacked Muchanga and killed him.
“By the time police arrived at the scene, he had been lynched by a mob that was angered by his earlier acts,” said Koome.
The injured guard was taken to hospital where officials said he is in a stable condition.
Gambling in the east African country is governed by the Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB) now valued at more than KShs5 billion ($49m)
It is increasingly gaining popularity in Kenya with gross gambling revenue rising to KShs2.2 billion ($21m) up from KShs2 billion ($20m) that was realised in 2014.
The projections were contained in a 2015 report by auditing firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), which added the revenues is expected to rise to KShs2.9 billion ($28m) in 2019 as more players enter the industry.
In the current scenario, some of the big names in the industry are in sports betting.
They include Sportpesa, which in 2014 invested Sh400 million and more recently signed a deal with England’s top flight league club Arsenal, Oxygen 8, Betin, mCheza and Betway.
There are also SMS lotteries offered by mobile telecommunication companies, online gambling sites and the oldest, Kenya Charity Sweepstake.
