Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) Dr. Fred Matiang’I has on Monday warned that come June 30th gambling licenses will no longer be renewed automatically.
The Interior CS was speaking during a meeting with Stakeholders in Nairobi when he noted that many Kenyans have been blacklisted with CRB due to gambling.
Matiang’i said he would push for tough legislation aimed at not only regulating betting among the youth but also drive rogue betting firms out of business. The numbers which are said to be over 500,000 is made up of many youths who are jobless but gamble.
In addition to that, Dr. Fred Matiang’I noted that the average income of most gamblers ranges between Ksh 5,000 – Ksh 10,000 per month.
"Leave Matiang'i alone he is a millionaire he does not know how much is made in taxes [from betting]"
The Betting craze: Kenyans divided on whether gambling is unhealthy. Full clip https://t.co/r0SWkN7wUo pic.twitter.com/YpC3u3ABB6
— NTV Kenya (@ntvkenya) April 2, 2019
During the meeting, it also emerged majority of the youth had run themselves into bad credit with many being listed in the Credit Reference Bureau Kenya (CRB) simply because the loans they took all ended in the hands of betting firms.
CS Matiang'i blames student unrest on gambling ,drug abuse & poor parenting. https://t.co/T05Pf1cxZs pic.twitter.com/VDPuzgYxRI
— K24 TV (@K24Tv) July 25, 2016
The CS threatened directors of the betting company who have not complied by getting genuine working permits that they will be deported. He further instructed the IG and Directorate of Criminal Investigation to review the list of directors by the close of business on Monday.
Feeling disappointed, CS Matiang’I said that it the directors of these companies that carry away the huge portion of the money collected to their countries with Kenyan having nothing to show for.
.@FredMatiangi: This gov't is committed to supporting clean business and we must live by the law. #TheDailyBrief with @SamWNjoroge pic.twitter.com/Yb8PDe7Zy1
— K24 TV (@K24Tv) May 20, 2019
The CS’s sentiments come at a time when Kenyan leading betting firm SportPesa is in a row with KRA over the filling of taxes.