Gamblers turn to juju to lure Nairobi dwellers

By Pkemoi Ngenoh

Despite numerous warnings from authorities and other voices, the passion for gambling still captivates many as a form of entertainment.

The most common in Nairobi streets is a three-card game known as pata-potea. Many have lost cash, sometimes school fees and even rent to these gamblers.

There was a time these gamblers had closed up but have come back with a vengeance in the recent weeks. In their bags are new tricks to help win Nairobians in the streets. Investigations by The Counties found out that street gamblers are nowadays winning ‘customers’ with too much ease raising concerns whether they use witchcraft, hyptonism  or some other dark forces that clouds the mind of ordinary folks.

This is achieved by one of the member dropping the cards they use, then urge passersby to assist them collect them.

Once their prey comes in contact with the cards, he/she becomes confused and join in the game willingly.

John, a driver in the city recently lost Sh5,000 after helping gamblers pick up card near the old OTC stage only to end up participating in pata potea blindly hence losing the money.

“I was in a hurry but while passing near a group of people, one of them urged me to pick a card which had fallen between my feet, I ended up trying the game when I saw some people winning, but I was unlucky,” he regrets.

A taxi driver along Ronald Ngala Street says: “I have seen many people lose cash blindly. One of my customers recently lost school fees, those people have ‘magnet’ that pools one to enter into gambling,” he says.

“I also noted the tricksters seem to be in collusion with police in patrol, how can the public conclude when the officers appear from no where to scare the gamblers and pretend to arrest them only to go and share the loot metres away from the scene,” observes the taxi man.

The trick is used throughout the day within the city targeting newcomers which sees the gamblers pocket easy and untaxed cash at the end of the day.

To confuse the public, some of the members surround makeshift carton tables pretending to play, sometimes scooping cash and rarely losing, shockingly the games are sometimes played metres before eyes of police officers in patrol in downtown.

The pata potea groups currently operate around OTC, outside St Peters Square and Muthurwa Market where they drop treated cards to attract the unsuspecting members of public.