This archive report was first published on 5 September 2019.
On September 5, 2019, SportPesa, a leading gaming company, announced that it would be returning to Kenya after a breakthrough in talks with government representatives.
Back in July, the Kenyan government had ordered seventeen betting companies, including SportPesa, to cease operations and have their directors deported. The move was welcomed by some moral campaigners but raised concerns about job losses in Kenya's gambling industry and its impact on sports.
One of the companies affected by the licensing issue was SportPesa, which reacted to the loss of its license by effectively withdrawing sponsorship from all major sports within the country. The company's decision had a significant impact on the Kenyan Premier League, which was expecting to be particularly badly hit.
However, after days of talks with government representatives, SportPesa has been cleared to resume operations in Kenya. The Kenya Revenue Authority has cleared the company in its ongoing investigation into the tax affairs of several major gambling companies within the country.
The next step for SportPesa is to lodge an application to regain its trading license, which it has indicated it will do immediately. The application will have to go before the county's Betting Control and Licensing Board, but isn't anticipated to encounter any issues on the way to approval.
While SportPesa's return to Kenya is a significant development, there are still concerns about the country's gambling laws. The Betting, Lotteries and Gaming Act of 1966 is no longer fit for purpose, and draft legislation to replace it is working its way through the political system. The proposed replacement bill makes it clear that mobile gaming will be prohibited in Kenya, with fines for firms that offer mobile gaming facilities and individual citizens caught playing mobile betting games facing a fine of up to two million shillings.
