Kenya’s first National Lottery advances towards operator appointment as RSM, QLOT named advisers
The National Lottery Board has appointed an RSM Eastern Africa-led consortium to guide the procurement of Kenya’s first National Lottery Operator, with the process now moving towards a competitive operator selection.
Kenya.- Kenya’s first National Lottery has moved a step closer to an operator after the National Lottery Board (NLB) appointed a consortium led by RSM Eastern Africa and Sweden’s QLOT Consulting as Transaction Advisor to guide the procurement.
The NLB announced the appointment on August 20 in a press release, saying the consortium will work with the Board from transaction structuring through to operator onboarding and launch readiness.
The appointment follows an open international tender conducted under the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act, 2015, and evaluated using the Quality and Cost Based Selection methodology. The consortium emerged as the highest-ranked and most responsive bidder.
The assignment includes a structured knowledge-transfer programme to ensure expertise is retained within the Board. RSM Eastern Africa brings depth in transaction advisory and institutional strengthening across Kenya’s public sector. It is part of the RSM global network, which provides audit, tax, advisory and transaction services.
QLOT Consulting, a Sweden-based specialist lottery advisory firm and an Associate Member of the World Lottery Association, brings internationally benchmarked experience from the world’s most sophisticated lottery procurements.
NLB chairperson Dr. Farida Karoney said: “The appointment of a credible, multidisciplinary Transaction Advisor is a defining step in building a National Lottery that Kenyans can trust. It is a statement of intent – that our National Lottery will be structured transparently, governed responsibly, and built to international best practice, with every shilling raised channelled towards good causes that uplift communities across the country.”
The NLB was established under the National Lottery Act, No. 20 of 2023, with a mandate to establish, oversee and safeguard Kenya’s National Lottery, procure and contract its Operator, and administer the National Lottery Fund. Its mandate also includes safeguarding the integrity, transparency and accountability of the National Lottery.
Lottery regulation and safeguards
The Board said licensing and regulation of gaming in Kenya more broadly rests with the Gambling Regulatory Authority, established under the Gambling Control Act, No. 14 of 2025. The future National Lottery Operator will be licensed within that framework while remaining contractually accountable to the NLB, with the Board describing the two mandates as distinct and complementary.
After prizes and the cost of running the lottery, proceeds will be paid into the National Lottery Fund and dedicated by law to good causes, including charitable and humanitarian work, economic empowerment for young people and women, sports, the arts and creative economy, national heritage, health and education, emergency response and transformative national projects.
The NLB said this will include backing grassroots sporting talent, helping young people earn from their skills and creativity, and investing in community projects countrywide. Funds will be disbursed from the National Lottery Fund in accordance with published rules, shared fairly across the country, independently audited and reported openly.
Responsible gaming will be designed into the National Lottery rather than added later, according to the Board. The Operator’s obligations will include age verification, play and spend controls, self-exclusion, disciplined advertising and clear disclosure of odds.
The Board said its attention now turns to structuring a transparent and competitive process to attract a credible operator. The Board added: “Timelines will be published in due course; the Board will not trade rigour for speed.”
