President William Ruto on Monday, December 11, 2023, signed The National Lottery Bill into law.
Flanked by Deputy President Gachagua, National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula, and other house leadership members, President William Ruto assented to the piece of legislation that is expected to have far-reaching implications.
But what is the National Lottery Bill and what does it seek to achieve?
The National Lottery Bill, 2023 which was sponsored by National Assembly Majority Leader and Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung'wah seeks to provide the legal framework to establish a National Lottery, to be operated by the national government.
Ichung'wah's bill also seeks to establish a board to administer the National Lottery. The board will draw its membership from institutional representatives and independent members. Membership will also be diverse and will include persons with disabilities and representatives of religious bodies.
The National Lottery will employ the game format, similar to popular lotteries like the Kenya Charity Sweepstakes and Lotto.
Just like in the game shows, the government, or its appointed agent will run the game where participants will depend on luck to win prizes.
The proceeds from the lottery will then be used to finance noble causes.
These causes include; economic empowerment initiatives, sports, recreational activities, art, culture and national heritage, signature transformation projects, and emergencies.
Additionally, the funds will also be channeled towards social development causes such as Universal health care (UHC), supporting small businesses, economic development and dishing out scholarships.
In support of the sports sector, proceeds from the National Lottery fund will support National teams to take part in local and International competitions.
"The fund will also help identify, nurture develop talents in sports as well as facilitate training and facility-building programmes." a govt statement on the law reads in part.
The board shall also facilitate the equitable distribution of resources for good causes to all parts of Kenya to ensure it benefits Kenyans equitably with the fund being availed to both the state and non-state actors to ensure that no one is left behind.
"The net effect of this will be the stimulation of the growth of the micro, small and medium enterprise sector (SMEs). This will be key in keeping with the Bottom Up Economic Transformation Agenda which seeks to address the challenges facing the country’s economy and in a bid to stimulate economic recovery and bolster resilience." the brief further reads.
