Former Kiambu Governor William Kabogo has welcomed the announcement by betting firms SportPesa and Betin to stop operating in Kenya.
Kabogo said the move was long overdue and noted Kenyan youth will now pursue wealth through hard work as opposed to gambling.
"I said this a long time ago. We help the youth become a working youth and not gamblers. Mtaka cha mvunguni sharti ainame (Anyone who requires what is under the bed must stoop for it)" he tweeted on Saturday.
Kabogo has been persistent in his opposition to gambling and has repeatedly warned Kenyans that betting makes only a few of them millionaires while leaving the majority poorer.
"I’ve tried to tell people to stop betting and that it’s a sort of scam that enriches a few and makes very many people poor. They collect say Sh20 from 1 million people, that is 20 million and they give out 2 million. Who’s fooling who. Stop betting!! Kwa ufupi betting ni ka Harambee lakini hi ni yakuchangia wadosi (In short betting is like fundraising for the rich)" he said recently.
When Uganda President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni banned betting in his country early this year, Kabogo was among leaders who piled pressure on President Uhuru Kenyatta to follow suit and outlaw gambling in Kenya.
"I hope President UK (Uhuru Kenyatta) does the same. A few rich men are collecting money from the poor returning 20% to the poor and retaining 80% of which they pay a small percentage to GK (Government of Kenya ) as taxes. Who’s screwing who?" the former county boss posed.
Both SportPesa and Betin said they were halting their operations due to hostile environment brought about by the recently enacted taxation policy where the government imposed a 20 per cent excise tax on all winnings.