Kenyan MPs urge govt to reinstate betting licences
A group of MPs in Kenya is asking the government to reverse its decision to ban betting companies from operating in the country.
Kenya.- Members of the National Assembly and Senate issued a statement this week in which they ask the government to revise its decision to deny licences to over 20 betting companies. The MPs advised the government to allow them to continue operating.
The government suspended the licensees earlier this month as it argued that they weren’t tax-compliant. Multiple companies and entities in Kenya asked the government to revise its decision. In some cases, without that money, they would go out of business.
Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala said that the government should continue collecting taxes from betting companies. He said that Kenya will lose billions in revenue. He said that betting firms were some of Kenya’s biggest contributors in 2018, Capital News revealed.
“We implore the government to look at the interest of the economy and other stakeholders and allow the said companies to operate pending the completion of the investigations. We are in support of this because of what these companies have been doing including sponsorship of sports, culture and arts-related activities,” said Malala.
The Senator mentioned SportPesa, which was awarded in 2018 for being tax-compliant but is now considered non-compliant.
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino talked about how football clubs lost sponsorships due to this decision. “I want to urge the CS Interior to reconsider his stand on this matter because most of these firms provide employment opportunities especially to youths, failure to reinstate them I will lead Gor Mahia and FC Leopards fans in peaceful demonstrations,” said Owino.
Football association urged the government to ease stance on betting firms
The football association urged the government last month to slow down on its stance on betting firms. The association’s President Nick Mwendwa said that the sport will be the biggest loser in this tax compliance fight.
Mwendwa singled out SportPesa’s contribution of €39 million that supported different football entities. The president said he feared that the fight with the government would leave teams without this kind of financial support.
“We are on the verge of losing approximately €39 million as football will be the loser in this fight. If SportPesa exits, we will be left without a title sponsor for the league and Shield Cup. Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards and the national team will also suffer. This is why I am asking the government to have football in mind as they do their regulations. Honestly, without them, we’ll struggle and even the big international matches will no longer happen,” said Mwendwa.
