Kenya's High Court has partially lifted the moratorium on new gambling regulations introduced in July. The regulator GRA may now accept licence applications, audit operators and enforce AML requirements, but increased fees and capital requirements remain suspended until the substantive hearing on 2 October.
In July judge William Musyoka froze the Gambling Control (Licensing) Regulations 2026 following a challenge by Thomas Buckley Opar Owuor and Ken Brance. The blanket freeze created a vacuum in which unlicensed sites operated without oversight. Authorities asked the court to suspend only the contested provisions. The court agreed.
The new tariffs represent increases of 200% to 49,900%. Previously an online bookmaker application cost just over Ksh10,000 ($77) and an annual licence Ksh400,000 to Ksh1,000,000. Under the new rules the application fee is Ksh5 million, a three-year licence costs Ksh50 million, and operators must hold Ksh100 million in capital. Steve Kipruto David of KDS Advocates expects half or fewer of the 150-plus licensed operators will meet the thresholds.
It remains unclear which fee structure applies during the suspension. David Sarinke of McKay Advocates expects GRA to revert to the old tariffs until October. Kipruto doubts it: he believes authorities are deliberately raising the bar to consolidate the market around larger players and tighten compliance. He has proposed giving operators two years to raise the capital instead of the end-of-2026 deadline.
