AGOK Appeals to Senate to Annul Gambling Regulations
The Association of Gaming Operators-Kenya (AGOK) has urged the Senate to repel the Gambling Control Regulations, 2026, purporting that some provisions were introduced without following the required legal procedures and it could unfairly burden licensed operators.
The Association, through Vice Chairperson Paul Mutegi, appeared before the Senate Committee on Delegated Legislation on Tuesday and urged the Committee to repeal certain regulations and recommend amendments while guaranteeing that licensed operators are protected from a regulatory void.
The main points of dispute are the capital requirements that operators must fulfil, the fees levied on gambling operators, and how the regulations were created.
According to AGOK, the regulations were not created in compliance with Part II of the Statutory Instruments Act’s procedural criteria. As stated in Part III, it further argued that a number of clauses were incompatible with the Act and other statutory legislation.
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Additionally, the Association disagreed with the fees and capital requirements imposed by the laws, claiming that they were not intended to recover costs but rather were established at levels that amounted to taxation or created obstacles to entry.
Mutegi submitted, “AGOK has raised these matters with the Executive. It wrote to the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary on 15 July 2026 and again on 6 August 2026. The Office forwarded the concerns to the Gambling Regulatory Authority on 11 August 2026 and proposed a round-table discussion. However, no engagements have taken place to date, despite AGOK’s requests“.
Also, the Jockey Club of Kenya expressed their opinions regarding the Gambling Control Regulations, raising concerns about the involvement of stakeholders in the process.
Ben Lawrence, its chief executive officer, told the Committee that stakeholder opinions were not adequately taken into account in the final regulations and that public engagement had been inadequate.
After the presentations, the Senate committee decided to involve additional stakeholders before drafting an inclusive and well-informed report for the House to review.
Mwenda Gataya, the committee chairperson, chaired the meeting. Senators Mohamed Faki, Consolata Wakwabubi, Dan Maanzo, and Betty Montet were present, as well as vice chairperson Danson Mungatana.
