Kenya Hits Sep 24 Gambling License Deadline Under Court Protection
September 24 is the expiry date set for Kenya’s existing gambling licenses. Court orders, however, mean operators do not simply lose their licenses or payment channels today.
GRA moved the expiry date to September 24 in an August 18 notice. Applications under the new licensing system opened at the same time.
The gap between the notice and today’s deadline was 37 days.
Existing Licenses Remain Covered by Court Orders
One of the orders comes from the Murang’a High Court. Existing gaming licenses, communications licenses and paybill numbers are to remain in force while HCCHRPET/E009/2026 is before the court.
Renewal applications can still be filed, subject to the applicable statutory fees. The next mention in that case is scheduled for October 6.
AGOK published another update following this week’s proceedings. The separate case over the licensing regulations is still set for a ruling on October 2.
The association also raised possible Safaricom Paybill switches on September 24. According to AGOK, the court said the existing status quo orders were meant to prevent such adverse action.
New Fees Can Be Collected While the Case Continues
The fee dispute has already moved once since 15M covered the original stay in July. On August 21, GRA told the High Court it had about 246 license applications pending. Its position was that those applications could not be completed without the required fees being paid.
Justice William Musyoka accepted that problem and varied the earlier order. GRA can receive the disputed licensing fees while the judicial review continues. It also gave an undertaking to refund money if the court later finds any amount unlawful, excessive or improperly collected. That order did not settle whether the challenged fee structure is lawful.
For an online bookmaker, the new schedule has three large figures: KES5 million to apply, KES50 million for the license and KES100 million in gambling capital. The figures come from Kenya’s Gambling Control (Licensing) Regulations 2026.
Using the Central Bank of Kenya’s September 23 rate of KES129.45 per $1, the three amounts are about $38,600, $386,300 and $772,500 respectively.
October 2 Is the Next Key Date
The main judicial review is due for a ruling on October 2. That leaves eight calendar days between today’s licensing deadline and the scheduled decision.
September 24 is not a definite cut-off date. There are still new applications being made, the disputed fee collection continues, and interim orders continue protecting current licenses and paybills.