A Kenyan consultant based in Rwanda, Patrick Kanyoro, just got lucky! On Wednesday September 8, 2010, he was declared winner of Tigo’s grand prize of Rwf 12 million. After all, it was his birthday.

"Hello dear Tigo user, this is to inform you that you have been selected for a cash prize of Rwf 12 million after Tigo’s grand prize draw,” announced Dickson, Contact FM’s presenter.

"Oh…my God, I can’t believe this! In fact, today is my birthday! This is the greatest prize ever and, indeed the biggest birthday gift!” the overwhelmed Kanyoro said.
In an interview with The New Times, Kanyoro said he was excited about the prize.

The Marketing Manager of the Mobile phone operator Tigo, Nina Claudia Ndabaneze said the aim of the draw was to entice Tigo subscribers to top up airtime as much as they could in order to accumulate points and enter into the final draw for the grand prize.

The top-up airtime was a minimum of Rwf 500 only.

According to Ndabaneze, the first draws were conducted on July 16, 2010, in a campaign called: "Sponsor Your Passion” where Tigo users were encouraged to participate in the draw and win their passion.

"It was during the football season, so we thought it would be a great to do something where Tigo sponsors your passion, which would be winning a flat screen to watch your favourite games or the grand prize of 12 million, which is a life changing offer.”

In the preliminary draws, winners bagged various prizes, including flat screens, modems, Tigo mobile phones and a grand prize of Rwf 12million.

"We gave him 45 days to come to the Tigo offices for his prize, but he never showed up. We tried to look for him through newspapers and, on different radio talk shows, but we later discovered he was a modem winner.”

The official ceremony to hand over the grand prize to the winner will be held today September 9, at Tigo Rwanda main office in Muhima.

The 42-year-old Kanyoro said he was hoping to get a random prize but never expected to win the jackpot.

"I received a text message from Tigo last night, but I didn’t pay much attention to it. Instead I went on my assignment, a trip to the Eastern Province, only to receive a surprise call from Contact FM informing me that I was the winner,” the ecstatic Kanyoro said.

Ends