When he secured a chance to study for a master of science degree at Anglia Ruskin University in the United Kingdom, Dismas Mutai was elated that his dream had finally come true.

However, Mutai’s world has turned upside down after he lost Sh2.8 million that was meant for his tuition fees and accommodation on betting site Aviator.

Mutai’s family had reportedly sold a piece of land to fund his fees and travel expenses.

Mutai is now stranded in a foreign land without a single cent. He may have to return to living in the streets.

He has reached out to Kenyans to help bail him out.

“Kenyans of goodwill, I’m not Okey. I will no longer pretend to be Okey. I have fallen into a trap, disastrous trap. A trap I never anticipated in my life,” Mutai, a trained journalist, wrote on his Facebook page.

“Depression is slowly taking me to the grave. You must have even noticed an usual change of behaviour in me. Aviator flew away with Kshs.2.8 million people’s money.”

He has pleaded with Kenyans to help him raise the money “and not let me die as young as I’m”.

“To my Mum and the entire family, forgive me. I understand the level of trust you had in me. I have weaknesses, just like any other human being,” Mutai wrote.

“This has become my greatest weakness. You know the ambition I had. I wanted a better life for all us.”

Mutai has also apologised to the community, saying he had participated in many school and church activities.

“I’m truly sorry. Perhaps UK was not meant for me but just give me a chance to survive so that I can be a living testimony to many,” he wrote.

Admission letter

According to his letter of admission to the UK university, the full-time course was to last from 13 January 2025 to 16 January 2026.

“Thank you for your application to study at Anglia Ruskin University. You are able to view the progress of your application via ARU applicant portal,” the university wrote to Mutai in January.

According to Tirop IK, he and Mutai travelled to the school in January after securing placement.

“A problem arose for Mutai [because] a bank statement was hard to find for him to pay his school fees. A friend of the family was approached and he offered to deposit Sh1.8 million to Mutai’s account,” explained Tirop.

Betting temptation

He added that another person was approached and he also deposited another Sh1 million to the same account.

The plan, Tirop wrote on his social media pages, was to return the money to its owners later.

However, like many young men, Mutai was tempted to try his luck on the Aviator betting site with the hope that he would refund the money.

“The entire Sh2.8 million vanished. The bank statement didn’t mature. Money all gone. He [Mutai] hasn’t reported to school,” Tirop wrote.

“He is stuck in between a rock and a hard place and he is calling for help. Aviator should and must be regulated.”

Money lost

Aviator is a crash-type game where players bet on how long they think a virtual airplane can fly before crashing.

The longer the aircraft stays airborne, the higher the multiplier value assigned, hence more potential winning amounts.

Players have to decide when they want to cash in before their plane takes off. Its simplicity and strategy-driven nature appeals to many gamers across different age brackets.

The game starts with the plane taking off and increasing its multiplier from 1.00x up to potentially 100x or more. Players have a “Cash Out” button to lock in winnings before the plane crashes.

The game, however, ends when the plane flies away, and many players have lost substantial amounts of money for not cashing out before the plane takes off.