Kenya’s Nairobi County launches taskforce to review betting rules and licensing fees
Nairobi County has brought operators and officials together to review licensing fees, regulation, enforcement and the new gaming framework
Kenya.- Kenya’s Nairobi County has established a 13-member taskforce to review its betting and gaming framework, with licensing fees, regulatory overlaps, enforcement and business sustainability among the key issues on its agenda.
The Kenya Gazette dated September 4, 2026, published Gazette Notice No. 14177 establishing the taskforce following a consultative meeting between Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja and the Association of Gaming Operators Kenya (AGOK).
The review will address stakeholder concerns around licensing, compliance, enforcement, taxation, fees and business operations, while seeking to improve coordination between the county government and gaming industry.
A central issue is the relationship between county and national gambling requirements. The Gazette directs the taskforce to examine “areas of overlap, duplication or conflict between national and county regulatory requirements.”
The taskforce will also assess “the impact of licensing fees on business sustainability and county revenue generation,” according to the Gazette. Its review covers fees for casinos, online casinos, betting premises, betting satellite shops, public lotteries, prize competitions, pool tables, amusement machines and other licensable gaming activities.
The review will examine licensing requirements and timelines, enforcement and compliance procedures, and the treatment of existing operators transitioning to the new legal framework. Industry sustainability, investment promotion and ease of doing business are also included.
Taskforce sets wider review agenda
The taskforce will also examine the gaming industry’s economic contribution to Nairobi, alongside opportunities to improve revenue administration and compliance.
Nairobi will benchmark its licensing and regulatory framework against other counties and relevant jurisdictions, including through a comparative assessment of licensing fees and regulatory models.
Documents identified for review include the Nairobi City County Betting, Lotteries and Gaming Act and Regulations 2026, current licensing fee schedule, FY2025/26 revenue performance report, enforcement and compliance report and an AGOK memorandum/position paper.
The taskforce must classify each issue in its final report as requiring a legislative amendment, regulatory amendment, administrative action, or engagement with the national government or Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA). The classification will guide the Governor and County Executive Committee on the appropriate course of action.
Its deliverables include an inception report, stakeholder consultation report, comparative analysis of licensing fees and regulatory practices, and a final report containing findings, recommendations, proposed legislative amendments, administrative reforms and an implementation roadmap.
The taskforce will comprise not more than 13 members from Nairobi City County Government and AGOK. David Njoroge, Chief of Staff, is chairperson, while Dr Anastasia Nyalita, County Executive Committee Member for Business and Hustler Opportunities, is co-chairperson.
Its membership includes county officials, three AGOK representatives, a legal, finance and public-policy expert, an Intergovernmental Relations Technical Committee representative and a Council of Governors representative.
The taskforce can request information and documents, establish sub-committees, co-opt experts without voting rights, and conduct site visits or inspections.
If consensus cannot be reached, divergent views will be recorded in the report alongside the positions of the respective sides. Both the County Government and AGOK must be represented for the taskforce to have quorum.
It must submit its final report within 21 days of gazettement, unless the Governor extends the deadline in writing.
