By Sundeep Sharma
Albert Schweitzer, the well regarded German-French humanitarian polymath who distinguished himself as an accomplished musician, theologian and physician once famously said that, “a man is ethical only when life, as such, is sacred to him, that of plants and animals as that of his fellow men, and when he devotes himself helpfully to all life that is in need of help.” Dr Mwikali, the indefatigable Board Chair of the Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB) seems to have borrowed a leaf from this timeless wisdom.
Dr Mwikali has emerged as a luminary of ethical reform whose blend of intellectual rigour and moral fortitude is spearheading a crusade to dismantle Kenya’s long-entrenched gambling crisis, transforming BCLB from a bureaucratic maze into a vanguard of societal protection. Her leadership, marked as it is by innovation, empathy and unyielding resolve offers a safe passageway towards combating vice with vision.
Kenya’s tryst with gambling has not been a trivial matter by any measure. By 2022, the country ranked among Africa’s largest betting markets, with a good percentage of its youth engaged in frequent wagering. Billboards touting instant wealth loomed over sprawling informal settlements, while predatory advertising targeted vulnerable demographics, conflating luck with liberation. The consequences were dire. Families were drained of savings, students dropped out of school to chase losses and a mental health crisis simmered beneath the surface.
Then enter Dr Mwikali. Upon her appointment, she confronted an industry steeped in exploitation. “Gambling,” she declared at her inaugural address, “should not be a gateway to despair. It is our duty to ensure that entertainment does not morph into enslavement.” Since the commencement of her tenure Kenya has witnessed a surgical approach to reform in the sector. Rejecting piecemeal solutions, Dr Mwikali has over time engineered a multi-pronged strategy anchored on prevention, regulation and rehabilitation. On that score she has spearheaded three crucial transformational breakthroughs.
One, BCLB has since overhauled licensing criteria demanding that operators implement robust age-verification systems and caps on daily bets. Firms now face rigorous audits, with licenses revoked for non-compliance, a move that has seen 37 high-risk operators shown the door within 18 months.
Two, fully cognisant of the seductive power of media, Dr Mwikali has gone ahead to ban gambling advertisements during daytime hours and prohibited celebrity endorsements. “We cannot allow glamourized narratives to normalise addiction,” she asserted, to gleeful acclaim by child welfare advocates.
Three, in 2023 under Dr Mwikali’s watch BCLB launched a digital platform that allows individuals to voluntarily bar themselves from all licensed betting platforms. This is a ground-breaking tool designed to empower Kenyans to reclaim control.
Beyond regulation, Dr Mwikali’s policies prioritise healing. The Gambling Recovery and Empowerment Initiative (GREI), funded by 20% of betting levies, has established 14 rehabilitation centres nationwide. These hubs offer counselling, financial literacy workshops and microloans to help survivors rebuild their lives.
Equally transformative is Dr Mwikali’s focus on education. Partnering with the Ministry of Education, the BCLB, sometime back introduced a school curriculum module on gambling risks that reaches 2 million students annually. According to Dr Mwikali, “prevention begins with awareness.” She notes that, “we must arm our youth with knowledge before temptation strikes.”
Such sweeping reforms would inevitably spark a backlash particularly in an atmosphere riddled with underhand excesses. Industry lobbyists decried “overreach,” while some lawmakers argued that restrictions would cripple tax revenues. Undeterred, Dr Mwikali riding on the crest of verifiable data as revealed in a 2024 BCLB report that there was a 40% drop in gambling-related bankruptcy cases since 2021 and a 25% increase in tax compliance from regulated operators.
Dr Mwikali’s steadfastness has galvanized public support from critical corners including Kenya Health Watch that recently declared 78% approval for BCLB’s policies. Her ambitions extend beyond immediate fixes as she envisions a Kenya where gambling is neither a scourge nor a stigma but a responsibly managed activity. To this end, the BCLB is piloting AI-driven tools to detect problematic betting patterns in real-time, while partnerships with fintech firms aim to block unauthorised transactions.
Dr Mwikali’s advocacy has also spurred regional collaboration. At this year’s February East African Gaming Summit, she rallied neighbouring countries to adopt harmonised regulations while citing addiction as a shared challenge.
In Dr Jane Mwikali, Kenya has found a regulator and a guardian at the same time. She is a leader who wields policy as an instrument of empathy.
Sundeep is a student of world history by choice and a well-respected financial analyst and systems integration specialist with years of experience in various jurisdictions mainly in Asia, parts of Europe and now Africa.
