Garissa Turn Boy Turns Millionaire in a Single Phone Call For 25-year-old Abdi Dahir, a humble turn boy from Garissa, life has always been about survival and responsibility. Each morning before sunrise, he makes his way to Eastleigh’s busy commercial streets, with thousands of traders, buyers and sellers, Matatus plying the streets and shouts of traders, ready to begin another day of loading trucks and preparing cargo for the long journey to Garissa.
But on this particular day, what began like any other would end in a moment that would be life changing for him and his family. As he carried on his daily hustle, Abdi was deep in his work when his phone rang. He almost ignored it, after all, as the firstborn in a family of eight and their only breadwinner, he thought, this would probably be one of the family members probably asking for some money or one of his friends asking for a small loan to be repaid at the end of the day. What he did not know was that on the other end of the line was a call that would rewrite his family’s story forever.
When he had the words “You are one of the winners in the Safaricom Shangwe @25 promotion” something inside him cracked open, the years of struggle, the silent prayers, he stood frozen, his hands trembling, wondering whether he had heard the caller clearly. “My whole family depends on me, I do not know how to thank Safaricom, I can’t believe that the little credit I always buy to call customers has made me a young millionaire.” he finally managed to say, his voice unsteady with emotions.
For a moment, the noise of Eastleigh faded, replaced by the overwhelming rush of years of struggle, days when he skipped meals so his siblings could eat, nights he stayed awake worrying about rent, school fees, and how to stretch a day’s wages to feed eight mouths. And then, in one call, everything would finally change. For Abdi, this win is a lifeline a breath of hope after years of unrelenting hardship. “I have always dreamt of building my mother a decent house,” he says quietly.
“But with my earnings, it was impossible. Now, my dream to build her a home will come true, a place she can be proud of”. He plans to use the money to secure his mother and siblings a safe roof over their heads and support his brothers and sisters through school, dreams that once felt distant now suddenly within reach. But Abdi’s dreams do not end with his family, even with his daily struggles, he carries the burden of his community in his heart. As part of his win, he received an additional KES 250,000 for a community project, and without hesitation, he chose Sangailu Primary School in Garissa, where children often sit on dusty floors, sharing dilapidated desks, and walk long distances under scorching heat just to find water.
“For the project, I want to donate desks and water tanks. Those children struggle just for a sip of water, if i can ease that burden for them even a little, then their dreams will be easier to chase and their paths might be better than mine”. For the soft-spoken 25-year-old, this win is nothing short of a miracle, one he hopes other Kenyans will also experience. “I want to tell my fellow youth to keep using Safaricom, you never know maybe one day, it will be your turn to become a young millionaire like me.” he says with a shy smile that slowly brightens. Since its launch, Safaricom’s Shangwe @25 promotion has continued to reward and delight customers across the country with daily and weekly cash prizes, devices, business tools, and data bundles.
Already, more than 50,000 Kenyans are winning every week, with over 5 million expected winners during the campaign period. Customers can participate by using M-PESA services, sending money, making payments, redeeming Bonga Points or purchasing Safaricom products such as data bundles, voice bundles, digital services, or Home Fibre. Merchants and M-PESA agents also stand a chance to win through Buy Goods, Pochi la Biashara, and transactions of KES 1,000 .
By James Kisoo
