302 300
The push to shut down all betting in Nairobi has gathered momentum after MCAs presented the bill to the floor of the Assembly.
Nairobi City County Betting, Lotteries and Gaming (Amendment bill 2021) was read for the first time in the assembly of Nairobi.
Nairobians will be restricted to betting between 8pm and 5am in the morning should the bill sail through.
The bill has been sponsored by Nairobi County Assembly Deputy Majority Whip Hon. Waithera Chege.
Among the issues the bill is seeking to address is a ban on all forms of betting advertisements in the media and change to cashless forms of betting.
According to Waithera the public will be allowed to gives views once it has been gazetted.
“Today basically is to inform Nairobi residents that the bill is coming up for the first reading which means that now the bill is product of the assembly. After the first reading conducted yesterday the bill will now allow public participation within the next 20 days as stipulated in the law.” Waithera said.
“But before the first reading we are going to do a procedural motion to allow the reduction of the publication period. From today, we are going to allow public participation as is our procedure and we are going to follow the law and will allow everyone’s opinion after the first reading,” Waithera told the media.
Meanwhile Waithaka MCA Hon Anthony Kiragu supported the bill saying it will help the public to end perennial suicides happening as a result of gambling as well as raise a working nation.
“The bill is looking forward to achieve the timing of betting company to be between 8pm and 5am. We also want betting companies to be burned from advertising and we also want betting to be cashless. We have realized that there are betting companies that have opened betting shops in our estates and I think this is a very dangerous trend because betting and gambling are the leading causes of suicide in the world,” Kiragu said.
“We cannot and we will not allow Nairobi to the next betting city. We know that this is something they are targeting the South Saharan Africa. I know this bill will generate a lot of arguments but I want to assure you that this bill will pass and we will stop gambling in Nairobi,” Kiragu added.