Key points:
- Yahweh Media Services and eight other TV stations have each been fined KSH 500,000 ($3800) for continuing to air unlicensed gambling promotions despite earlier directives
- The Communications Authority has issued a 12-hour deadline to halt the broadcasts or face additional sanctions, including possible licence revocation
The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) has fined nine television stations, including Yahweh Media Services, KSH 500,000 each for broadcasting unlicensed gambling content.
The Authority has given the broadcasters 12 hours to stop airing the content or face further action, which could include having their licences revoked.
The penalties follow a compliance review in May 2025 which showed continued airing of gambling-related material, despite a sector-wide notice issued on 13 March and a general advisory on 23 April instructing broadcasters to suspend such content.
The enforcement action comes after an investigative report by NTV titled Sacred Swindle: Inside the Gospel of Greed on Kenya’s Airwaves. This report highlighted how some religious broadcasters were using faith-themed programming to promote prize competitions and raffles.
In the report, one pastor claimed to earn up to Sh700,000 per day from viewers participating in what were presented as spiritual blessings but functioned as gambling schemes.
Good to know: The CA will continue to monitor broadcasts to ensure compliance with sector regulations
According to the CA, its actions were taken in line with Section 83A of the Kenya Information and Communications Act and warned that broadcasters found in repeated breach would face tougher penalties.
The CA stated: "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.”
This comes as Kenya recently enforced a 30-day nationwide ban on gambling advertising announced by the Betting Control and Licensing Board amid concerns over the rapid growth of gambling.
