The Internal Security Principal Secretary, Raymond Omollo, has announced a crackdown on all unlawful betting firms following a public uproar over the vice's implications.
Speaking on Saturday, PS Omollo revealed that the government had taken note of the epidemic and would crack down on rogue betting firms preying on Kenyans.
"We are losing a number of Kenyans, particularly young ones, who have been hooked on betting. We are working on cleaning that space, and we want to ask that you pay a lot of attention. Let's support the government officers so that we rein in rogue businessmen and women who want to take advantage of our youth to get them hooked on betting," he stated.
Noting that those hooked on betting were no different from those addicted to drugs, the PS promised that the government, led by President William Ruto, had devised measures that were currently being applied to curb irresponsible gambling.
"This is a matter, even His Excellency the President has taken note of and has given us guidance on what should be done, so going forward there are already changes that are happening and we expect more to happen so that we have a society that can develop and doesn't have some members being completely left alone," PS Omollo noted.
"We have heard cases of people committing suicide and other people getting into criminal activities just so that they can participate in the betting."
Over the past few weeks, news reports and confessionals by Kenyans hooked on betting have led Kenyans to call for government intervention to address the widespread betting concerns.
In one such report, it was alleged that Kenyans used up to Ksh766 billion to gamble in 2024.
However, the Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB) denied these reports in a notice issued on April 20. The BCLB claimed that the figure was sensational and intended to mislead not only policymakers but also the public about the economic reality of licensed operators.
"Debunking the Ksh766 billion myth recently reported in the media, claiming that Kenyans spent Ksh766 billion on gambling in 2024, a figure roughly equivalent to 31 per cent of national revenue," part of the statement read.
"The sensational figure inaccurately inflates the size of the regulated market, likely by including offshore (unlicensed) platforms."
The board, however, confirmed that taxes related to the gambling sector collected in the 2024/25 financial year totalled Ksh22.3 million.
