Illegal gaming halls raided
In a January 13 notice posted to the Kenya Revenue Authority website, Commissioner of Customs and Border Control Julius Musyoki ordered an immediate ban on the importation of “gaming equipment, machines and devices.” Any future importation of gaming devices “must have express clearance from the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government,” the statement said.
Charles Wambia, director of the country’s Betting Control and Licensing, told Business Daily Africa the ban is “a control measure so that we do not allow machines to come into the country that are substandard.”
Citing local media, however, CalvinAyre.com said the import ban may have been enacted to stem the tide of illegal gaming rings run by Chinese nationals. A number of slot operations have been discovered operating out of illegal clubs in residential neighborhoods, the website reported.
Last October, BCLB Chairman Anthony Kimani Kung’u warned of illegal slots “installed by some Chinese in cahoots with some unscrupulous local businessmen, especially bar owners.”
KenyaNews247.com reports that in recent months, concerned Kenyans have complained about “illegal gaming dens mushrooming in slums” and say illegal betting is “tearing families apart.”
Kisumu Regional Assistant Director for Immigration Peter Karoki has called for a probe into the smuggling of gambling machines into Kenya. In a recent raid, more than 500 slot machines were seized by police and 14 foreigners were arrested. Last November, 100 gambling machines were intercepted on their way to Nairobi and impounded in Kisii County. Another 150 machines were seized in the county. And in Trans Mara, law enforcement confiscated seven machines and arrested 12 people. Similar crackdowns occurred in Nyeri County in central Kenya.
