How Idris Sultan squandered Sh32million of Big Brother Africa prize money
The last winner of Big Brother Africa, Tanzanian Idris Sultan says he doesn’t understand how he wasted the Sh32million purse he won from the competition.
Sultan is however quick to blames one of his former close friends for the loss of his huge fortune.
Sultan says he squandered his colossal winnings with someone he thought was a true friend having known him for five years. He claims even his own family never got to benefit from the millions.
PRIZE MONEY
“The first time ambayo nimepata ile hela, a lot of friends walikuwa behind me. Plan yangu ilikuwa kukaa pale one month I wasn’t sure I would even last the month but all I needed was that platform to push my brand at the time. sikujua nitashinda so there was no plan for that money,” Sultan said.
He says after winning the money, he asked the organisers of the reality show not to hand him the purse immediately as he needed time to think through on how he would use the money.
He took the money after three months and shared some little amount with some friends so that they would go and start individual projects.
Of these friends he singles out one by the name Mike, who he says was very close to him. This is the guy Sultan blames for draining his millions. He started a number of business ventures and made Mick in charge. He claims Mike took advantage of the opportunity to siphon the millions and almost dried him up.
GOLD BUSINESS
“Mick was very close tukaamua kwa nini tusifanye vitu vingi. Kulikuwa na masuala ya gold na vitu vingine, vyote hivi nimemweka close. Sasa kitu kilifanya so much money ikapotea and I don’t understand zimepotea vipi ni kwamba I used to authorise release of funds for several projects upon Mike’s approval without asking questions because we were close and before I knew it, not much was left and there was no yield in the businesses,” he further disclosed.
The comedian says huge amount of the money was lost in the gold business and to-date he doesn’t understand how that happened. By the time he was cutting ties with Mike, he was only left with Sh2million in his bank account.
Sultan had even landed a lucrative deal to supply gold to one of Swaziland’s King Mswati’s children but that never happened after he been swindled by Mike.
Out of the entire Sh32million windfall, Sultan says his only spent Sh1.2million on buying his BMW and Sh1million on a one-week vacation with friends in South Africa.
THE WINNER
Sultan, who is also a professional photographer emerged the winner of the final season of Big Brother Africa, dubbed Ultimate Hotshot, which was staged in South Africa.
As the winner of BBA Season 9, Sultan walked away with a purse of $300,000 which at the time was equivalent to Sh24 million and equivalent to Sh32million at the current exchange rates.
Sultan, who was 21 years old at the time, beat 25 housemate to the prize, including two Kenyans, former NTV presenter Sabina Stadler and actor Melvin Alusa who is Sauti Sol’s vocalist elder brother Bien Aime Baraza.
Sultan became a fans’ favourite gaining the nickname ‘Mr Lover Man’s because of his sexual behaviour in the house.
The reality show has since stopped airing for lack of sponsors as was reported.