Kenya is the priority sub-Saharan Africa entry point and entry is open: the BCLB-era licence-application moratorium has ended, and the GRA opened its first licensing cycle in July 2026 following the Gambling Control Regulations 2026. Entry requires a locally incorporated Kenyan company with a physical office, Kenyan directors/representatives, KRA tax registration (PIN/VAT), FRC AML registration, and an M-Pesa Pay Bill (requiring a Kenyan bank account and Safaricom commercial agreement). The binding practical constraint is now capital rather than timing: the Third Schedule to the Gambling Control Regulations 2026 sets a KSh 2,000,000,000 gambling capital requirement for the National Lottery licence and a KSh 8,000,000 application fee for the hybrid online licence.
Jurisdictions › Kenya › Market entry in practice
Kenya · Question 03 of 11
Market entry in practice: How hard is entry, really?
Mixed · Probable · AI-generated · Back to full Kenya report →
Key section parameters
| Jurisdiction | Kenya (KE) |
|---|---|
| Regulator | Recorded in register |
| Favourability | Mixed |
| Confidence | Probable |
| Review status | AI-generated |
| Last collected | 11 Oct 2026 |
Summary answer
Kenya is the priority sub-Saharan Africa entry point and entry is open: the BCLB-era licence-application moratorium has ended, and the GRA opened its first licensing cycle in July 2026 following the Gambling Control Regulations 2026. Entry requires a locally incorporated Kenyan company with a physic…