Nine Kenyan broadcasters defy gambling ad ban, slapped with fines and 12-hour ultimatum
The Communications Authority gives broadcasters just 12 hours to pull all gambling ads off air or face licence cancellations
Kenya.- In a hard-hitting move that’s shaking the foundations of Kenya’s broadcast landscape, the Communications Authority (CA) has issued a stern 12-hour ultimatum to eight television stations and a media group for defying a ban on gambling advertisements, warning that failure to comply could lead to the ultimate penalty: revocation of their broadcast licences.
The stations were each fined Sh500,000 ($3,900) for airing unlicensed gambling content, an act that defies multiple directives issued by the Authority in the past few weeks.
“Even with the directives to suspend advertising of all gambling-related content, a review by the Authority in the second week of May 2025 revealed the continued airing of such prohibited content by some broadcasters, in blatant disregard of sector laws and directives,” read the statement issued by the CA.
‘Sacred Swindle’
The crackdown follows the release of an exposé by NTV, ‘Sacred Swindle: Inside the Gospel of Greed on Kenya’s Airwaves,’ which exposed how some televangelists, under the guise of preaching, have been running cleverly disguised gambling promotions. The report came with revelations of “faith raffles” and cash competitions masked as divine blessings.
One pastor, featured in the exposé, revealed he could rake in as much as Sh700,000 ($5,460) a day from people who believed they were sowing seeds of faith.
The CA had initially flagged 33 broadcasters on March 13 and followed up with a general advisory on April 23. But with non-compliance persisting, the regulator has now moved from warnings to sanctions.
“Consequently, in line with Section 83A of the Kenya Information and Communications Act, 1998, the Authority instituted a notice to issue a penalty of Sh500,000 to eight (8) non-compliant broadcasters for airing unlicensed price competition promotions, with a 12-hour ultimatum to cease all non-compliant broadcasts or face additional sanctions, including license revocation,” CA said.
As the clock ticks down on the ultimatum, all eyes are on Kenya’s airwaves.
