Kenyan athlete who competed in Boston Marathon confesses to wasting Sh10 million

Classic 105 FM presenter Maina Kageni challenged Kenyan men to explain what they spend their money on and one caller who identified himself as an athlete regretted that he had wasted millions in partying.

The marathoner who only identified himself as Abraham said that he had earned more that Sh10 million from international competitions but was currently broke.

He told Maina that most of his money was used on the night escapades, adding that he used to walk around with Sh1 million in cash.

“I was spending money with the hope of making more in the next race until I couldn't compete anymore. Right now I struggle even getting fare to travel,” he confessed on air.

He added that he was in the process of rebuilding his life and providing for his children whom he has to fend for alone after his wife passed away.

“Kawaida ya hawa athletes back in Kericho I used to see them with that habit. A friend of mine alibafua mmoja some good cash na hakujua… Remember the story of Wanjiru? These athletes need financial advisors and go back to school,” on of the listeners said.

Former World Athletics representative and ex-5,000m World Champion Benjamin Limo said during a past interview with New York times that more than half of the top athletes in Kenya were not living a sustainable lifestyle.

“When you drink a lot of alcohol you become stupid, you don’t know what you’re doing,” said Moses Tanui, a Kenyan marathoning pioneer who won the Boston Marathon twice.

Only those who are prudent enough to invest their winnings live a comfortable life after their running streaks end. The rest fall prey to their desires, fraudsters and exploitative family and friends.

One of the most popular scams targeting rich athletes involve purchase of property and land.

Many have been victims of buying fake title deeds while others find out that the people they trusted with investing their hard earned money registered or purchased property in their name and not the athletes'.

Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot, who was unknown when he set the Frankfurt Marathon course record in 2008 and ran a course record in Boston two years later, avoided the pitfalls thanks to a wise lawyer who led him through a series of investments, including a 20-acre tea estate that has provided him with a steady income since his running days ended.