PSC recalls betting agency boss after lobby group protest

Mr Amos Kwasi (pictured) had been reappointed head of the gaming agency effective October. FILE 

By GEORGE NGIGI

In Summary

• Industry players oppose return of former director to helm, saying he is unfit to hold office.

The Public Service Commission (PSC) has recalled a long-serving director of the Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB) soon after he was returned to the position after protests from the gaming industry.

PSC confirmed the action, coming barely two weeks after his appointment that provoked gambling industry operators to move to court seeking revocation.

Amos Kwasi had been reappointed head of the gaming agency effective October. He briefly worked at the National Treasury where he had been transferred in December last year after serving as director and a deputy director at BCLB, then under Home Affairs ministry, for over a decade.

“In view of the controversy we have asked him to come back and will be deployed to the Ministry of Interior and National Coordination. In the meantime status quo remains while consultations are being done,” said PSC chairperson Margaret Kobia.

Charles Wambia has been serving in an acting capacity since the transfer of Mr Kwasi and is expected to continue holding the position.

The Association of Gaming Operators of Kenya (AGOK) had protested his reappointment stating that during his first tenure he had been accused of usurping the powers of the board and tampering with its minutes.

“His relationship with stakeholders and gaming industry is one that suppresses and stifles the gaming environment,” said AGOK in a protest letter to the head of PSC.

The operators also raised issue with Mr Kwasi’s demeanour accusing him of arrogance and high handedness not befitting of a holder of any public office.

The association had moved to court to challenge reappointment of Mr Kwasi given that the position was not advertised and public opinion sought about him.

The officials had been at loggerheads with casino operators last year after he sent out a letter cutting back their operating hours despite the board chairman Lucas Maitha advising against the move.

BCLB authorises lotteries as well as regulates gambling activities. Its operations have, however, been hampered by an archaic legal structure and a lack of automation which has seen it lag behind the industry practices.

The industry’s soft underbelly was exposed when it was caught flatfooted by SMS lottery as it could not monitor the income earned by the promoting companies. Besides, gambling activities also take place on the Internet exposing children to the games.

The Act governing the sector was passed in 1961 and previous attempts to overhaul it have not been successful.

The agency does not have a website where one can get information about the Kenyan sector or reports on its operations making it opaque and prone to corrupt dealings.

There have been claims that casinos are being used for money laundering as they are not mandated to practice the “know your customer” policy.