Ten months ago, President William Ruto formed a Presidential task force to deliberate on the formation of the National Lottery as part of the institutional framework to mobilize resources to supplement the Government’s efforts toward addressing various social causes and needs. Bill
The task force which was headed by Narendra Raval traveled throughout the country to collect views from the stakeholders and undertake a comprehensive review of the best practices on the national lotteries in other jurisdictions.
The task force came up with the report which led to the National Lottery Bill being published in the Kenya Gazette on 31st October 2023 and presented to the parliament by Majority Leader Kimani Ichungwa with its 1st Reading happening on 8th November. National Lottery Bill 2023
The Bill was considered and passed by the National Assembly on Wednesday 6th December 2023 and now awaits final assent by the President.
Now the legislation framework for establishing the National Lottery Board is here, what awaits will be the establishment and Operationalization of the National Lottery.
Let’s look at some of the key aspects we can find in the National Lottery Bill 2023:
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The principal object of the Bill is to provide a legislative framework for the establishment and operation of a National Lottery which will be conducted by the government and also establish a National Lottery Fund whose function will be to retain and disburse the proceeds of the National Lottery.
The Bill establishes the National Lottery Board whose mandate will be to administer the National lottery, that is supervise, control, and monitor all the operations. The board members will be drawn from institutional representatives and independent associations like persons with disabilities and faith-based organizations.
The main objective of the conduct of the National Lottery will be to raise resources for the nation towards noble causes like charities, economic empowerment initiatives, sports, culture, art, signature transformation projects, and national emergencies.
The National Lottery Board will ensure equitable distribution of these resources in all parts of Kenya and funds will be available to both state and non-state actors.
