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Kenya’s long-awaited Gambling Control Bill is in its final stages, but still needs further approval before being passed into law, contrary to various media reports.
Kenya’s parliament has confirmed the bill was referred to a Mediation Committee after its Senate-amended version was rejected by the National Assembly earlier this year on January 16, according to the latest bills tracker update provided by parliament on March 14.
A Mediation Committee comprises members of both Houses and has 30 days to create a version of the bill they can agree on.
If the Mediation Committee fails to agree on a version of the bill within 30 days, or if a version proposed by the committee is rejected by either House, the bill is considered to have been lost.
Some local news sites and gambling media sites incorrectly reported earlier this year that the bill had passed and was awaiting presidential approval.
Speaking to parliament on March 12, speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetang'ula said “it is imperative that both Houses reach a consensus on this critical legislation”.
“The Mediation Committee will play a key role in developing a version that balances regulatory integrity with industry growth,” he said.
The bill would regulate betting, casinos and other forms of gambling, including online gambling, and establish a new Gambling Regulatory Authority, replacing the Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB).
Other proposed changes include a monthly gambling tax charge of 15 percent of gross gaming revenue (GGR), and a monthly gambling levy of 1 percent of GGR to combat gambling addiction.
The new regulator will be responsible for approving advertisements and promotions before release.
The Senate approved the bill with amendments and referred it back to the National Assembly on October 8, 2024.
The Senate amendments were referred to the Departmental Committee on Sports and Culture for consideration (DCSC), which raised concerns that some changes may contravene the constitution, recommending that the House reject all amendments, which they did.
The DCSC published its report on the amendments on December 3, 2024.
Last year, Arthur Osiya, the principal administrative secretary for the President’s office, urged the National Assembly’s Committee on Sports and Culture to speed up the enactment of the bill.
He stated that more than 80 percent of gambling activities in Kenya now occur online, making it difficult for the regulator to prevent underage gambling or collect tax revenue.
Osiya also stated that the current gambling regulator needs KS500m (€3.5m) to develop and implement a central monitoring system (CMS) to improve oversight of the gambling activity in the country and improve revenue collection.
