8 TV Stations Fined KSh 500k Each for Airing Prohibited Betting Ads
- The government of Kenya imposed a 30-day ban on gambling advertisements on all media stations in Kenya last month
- The Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB) had raised concerns over the proliferation of gambling activities across the country, saying promoters mischaracterise it as an investment opportunity
- The board also appointed a multi-agency team to enforce and formulate strategic interventions and policy recommendations for responsible gambling
Bonface Kanyamwaya, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, has more than 10 years of financial, economic, business, markets, and aviation expertise, providing insights into Kenya and global trends.
The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) has imposed a fine of KSh 500,000 on eight TV stations for airing prohibited gambling advertisements across their channels.
Source: Twitter
The authority, in a statement released on Monday, May 26, said the firms must pay the amount within 12 hours; failure to which it will impose other penalties, including licence withdrawal.
The authority was yet to disclose the names of the eight broadcasters by the time this story went to press, despite numerous enquiries on the same.
Search option is now available at TUKO! Feel free to search the content on topics/people you enjoy reading about in the top right corner ;)
"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.
"Consequently, in line with Section 83A of the Kenya Information and Communications Act, 1998, the authority issued a notice to penalise eight non-compliant broadcasters KSh 500,000 each for airing unlicensed price competition promotions, with a 12-hour ultimatum to cease all non-compliant broadcasts or face additional sanctions, including licence revocation," said the statement, which was seen by TUKO.co.ke.
Why were the broadcasters punished?
The authority said that the eight TV stations have been slapped with the huge penalty for failing to heed its directives.
CA said in the memo that the stations had to face the penalty because, before issuing it, it had identified licence violations by 33 broadcasters, including but not limited to Yahweh's Media Services Limited and its affiliate stations in Kenya.
This recent revelation comes barely a few weeks after CA threatened to shut down 23 TV stations in Kenya for violating rules.
The Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB) recommended such action after the stations were found to have flouted the directive suspending betting advertisements.
Among the stations marked for closure were Kameme TV and Aviation TV; the BCLB also hinted at prosecuting the stations' managers.
Source: UGC
97 betting firms renew licences with KRA
In a related story, only 97 betting firms had complied with government directives on licensing out of a total of 180 companies listed by the betting regulator as of May 5.
The Kenya Revenue Authority put betting companies in Kenya, with operating licences issued by the betting regulator for the financial year 2024/2025, on notice.
The betting firms were asked to renew their licences before Monday, 30 June, failure to which they will be blocked from trading.
Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
