The interim order, issued by Justice W. Musyoka<\/strong> on July 20, temporarily prevents the enforcement of the Gambling Control (Licensing) Regulations, 2026<\/strong>, which came into effect earlier this month under the Gambling Control Act, 2025<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The case was filed by Thomas Buckley Opar Owuor<\/strong> and Ken Brance<\/strong>, who are challenging both the legality of the regulations and the process used to introduce them. The respondents include Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi<\/strong>, the Gambling Regulatory Authority and the Attorney General, while the Association of Gaming Operators Kenya (AGOK) and Safaricom PLC have been named as interested parties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the centre of the dispute are sharp increases in licensing fees introduced under the regulations. Court documents show that some licence renewal fees rose by between 200 per cent and 49,900 per cent. For example, the renewal fee for a land-based bookmaker increased from KES5,000 (\u20ac34) to KES2.5m (\u20ac16,930), while online bookmaker and online casino licences were set at KES50m (\u20ac338,615). The regulations also introduced an advertising approval fee equivalent to 6 per cent of a gambling operator\u2019s marketing budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The applicants said the regulations were adopted without adequate public participation and questioned whether the prime cabinet secretary had the statutory authority to sign the subsidiary legislation under the Gambling Control Act. They also said the accompanying Regulatory Impact Statement<\/strong> failed to demonstrate sufficient stakeholder consultation or fully assess the economic impact of the revised fee structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The court\u2019s stay order also suspends enforcement measures linked to the regulations, including directives affecting mobile money payment channels used by operators alleged to be non-compliant. Industry stakeholders have warned that immediate enforcement could disrupt licensed gambling businesses and put jobs across the sector at risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The High Court directed the applicants to file their substantive motion within 14 days<\/strong> and scheduled the matter for mention on September 21, 2026<\/strong>. Until the court issues a further ruling, the Gambling Control (Licensing) Regulations, 2026, will remain suspended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The suspension follows the GRA’s launch of Kenya’s first licensing cycle under the new regulations<\/a> just weeks earlier. The regulations’ advertising approval fee also builds on Kenya’s recent dual-approval requirement for gambling advertisements<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/05\/kenya-flag-std-300x200.jpg\")
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