This archive report was first published on 17 July 2019.
On July 17, 2019, the High Court in Kenya made a significant ruling regarding the betting industry. The court declined to suspend the government's decision to cancel the licenses of 27 betting firms due to tax non-compliance.
Earlier in the month, the Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB) had suspended the licenses of at least 27 betting firms in the country over failure to comply with tax obligations. The government also directed all mobile money transfer service providers to withdraw their pay bill numbers used by the affected companies.
Four firms had approached the court seeking conservatory orders against the government to allow them to continue their businesses. However, Justice Weldon Korir said that the court did not find just cause to issue the orders before BCLB and other government agencies file responses.
On July 16, Interior CS Fred Matiang'i signed deportation orders for foreign directors of the affected companies. The case was scheduled for hearing on July 26 when the respondents shall have filed their replies.
Photo: Gamblers seated in a betting shop at a Nairobi shop. Source: Nation
