Nyandarua man buys land, names it ‘Viusasa’ after big win

It happened in July 2019. That’s the year Mwanjala won Ksh 5 million Grand Prize in the inaugural Jipange na Viusasa promotion. Although time has passed – the memories of the historic win have remained with him.

This week, Viusasa News called Mwanjala on phone – and sought to find out how the journey has been four years later. The 71-year-old spoke to Viusasa from his home in Taita Taveta.

“There are things you don’t forget, like winning Ksh 5 million,” he said. 

"What happened to your millions?" we ask. He takes time to arrange his thoughts.

“It’s been a while since I won the money. I can say that life is not very bad… of course you understand that the economy is not kind to many people at the moment. Life has changed,” he says with a chuckle.

“I bought a few pieces of land scattered around my village – where I currently plant green grams, what is commonly known as pojo. I also plant maize which feeds me and my family, and I get to sell the surplus,” he says, his voice brightening up.

Mwanjala maintains that 'Jipange na Viusasa' promotion positively impacted his life.

“I spent part of the money on school fees for my grandchildren who are still in school. I also bought a motorbike to help me with movement,” he says – as we end our call.

Some hundreds of kilometres away – in Nairobi – Daniel Muchoki who won Ksh1 million in 2019, courtesy of ‘Jipange na Viusasa’, has been doing just fine.

He still has the Viusasa phone number saved in his mobile phone. He is warm and courteous.

“Tell me, have I won another million?” he asks from the other end of the call -- his words slightly drowned in this shared excitement. Muchoki won Ksh1 million in May 2019.

“My life changed after the win,” he says. “I will never forget the feeling,” Muchoki told Viusasa News.

“I was able to continue building my house in the village. The house had stalled for some time because of shortage of funds,” said Muchoiki who hails from Nyandarua.

“I also bought a piece of land, which I conveniently named ‘Viusasa’. My family members and villagers call it ‘Viusasa’. It reminds me of the win,” he says as we end the call.

Stay calm when you win.

According to economist Duncan Otieno, one should consider investing their windfall in businesses that they already understand.

“If you are already running a small kiosk and renting a space for that business, you may need to consider buying a container to eliminate rent expense,” he says.

“As much as possible avoid capital consuming ideas which have very little returns. If you do this, then you are likely to run into financial headwinds,” adds Duncan.

He also cautions winners against investing in business ideas for which they have no or very limited information about. He also advises winners to stay calm and plan well.

Jipange na Viusasa is back

Just like before, Viusasa is currently running ‘Jipange na Viusasa promotion’ – where it seeks to enhance customer experience through promotion of content on its platform.

“The promotion awards participants watch points based on the number of video packages one buys to watch. Participants are free to buy as many videos as possible with video packages costing Ksh10, Ksh50 and Ksh99,” says Esther Mukima – Head of Content Viusasa and Royal Media Services.

Kenyans who participate stand a chance of winning Ksh100,000 daily, and Ksh 500,000 weekly just by watching videos on Viusasa platform.

The current promotion kicked off on September 26, 2023, and will run until December 26, 2023.

“So far we have awarded over 11 daily winners since the promotion started, with each pocketing Ksh100,000,” says Mukima.

The weekly draw has so far produced one winner who won Ksh 500,000 on Wednesday October 4, – with the draw done live on Citizen TV.

Mama Elizabeth Wangeci, a mama Mboga from Kiambu county.

Mukima says that the promotion is meant to reward Viusasa consumers and subscribers who have “walked this journey with us for seven years”. This is why we need to celebrate with our consumers,” she says.

A grand winner of Ksh3, 000,000 will be announced at the end of the promotion on December 26, 2023.

Viusasa is Kenya’s first indigenous platform to grant content producers (CPS) with a chance to actually produce vernacular content – sell it and make money.

“We are the first platform to Localize our platform to cater to the diversity of languages, cultures, and content preferences in East Africa. This includes providing localized content, subtitles, and dubbing options in local indigenous languages, as well as ensuring that the user interface and navigation is intuitive and familiar to the local audience,” says Mukima.

How to participate

To take part, all you need to do is dial x487x3# and select ‘Jipange na Viusasa’ option. Select any of the video package options and pay Sh10, Sh50 or Sh99. You will receive an SMS indicating the number of points you have accumulated. One needs to buy more videos to increase their chances of winning even as they enjoy a wide catalogue of video shows.

The promotion is about combining the opportunity to win with a wonderful experience of viewing good content on the platform and getting entertained. ‘Jipange na Viusasa’ will run for the next three months.