This archive report was first published on 18 December 2019.
On December 18, 2019, a tragic incident occurred in Homa Bay County, where a preacher was killed by a mob for allegedly stealing a gambling machine.
The incident took place at Kodiera Shopping center in Ndhiwa sub-county, where the preacher, Calvince Otieno Onguro, belonged to the Roho Mshanda Church.
According to witnesses, the pastor cried out when he was caught, saying he was not a thief and that he was taking the machine away to save the locals from wasting their money on gambling.
However, the mob ignored his pleas and went ahead to kill him.
The government has been cracking down on betting firms, with Interior CS Fred Matiang'i suspending the licenses of 19 leading betting firms in July 2019 over failure to remit taxes.
Leading Kenyan betting firms Sportpesa and Betin announced their exit from the Kenyan market in September 2019, citing a 20% withholding tax on all bets placed as the reason.
