Traders lose betting profits as their machines are burnt

Kakamega County Commissioner Abdirizak Jaldesa (right) and County Commandant Johana Tanui (left) during the burning of 83 gambling machines impounded by the police in the crackdown of illegal business. [Duncan Ocholla/Standard]

More than 600 illegal gambling machines have been seized and destroyed by police in various towns.

In Kakamega, 83 machines were burnt yesterday at Rosterman dumpsite while another 30 were seized in Mumias town and its environs.

County Commissioner Abdiruzak Jaldesa supervised the raids, which saw youths scrambling to retrieve the money inside the machines before they were set ablaze.

Mr Jaldesa estimated the value of the destroyed machines at nearly Sh7 million. One machine costs Sh80,000.

The latest crackdown comes three days after 40 machines worth Sh3.2 million were set on fire in Matisi by Bungoma County Commissioner James Kianga.

And in Vihiga, 105 machines valued at Sh8.4 million were destroyed by County Commissioner John Chelimo.

Jaldesa said more machines would be burnt on Friday after starting a crackdown in the remaining 11 sub-counties.

Betting laws

The commissioner noted that the gambling machine owners were arrested and would be charged with contravening betting laws.

“Following the directive from Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i, we are giving a stern warning to those involved in the business that they will be arrested and charged in court. We won’t allow this kind of business to thrive since it’s a haven for criminals,” said Jaldesa.

He added: “All chiefs and their assistants are put on notice that anyone found protecting gambling machine cartels will be fired and prosecuted.”

County Police Commander Johana Tunoi said officers had been deployed to fast-track the directive to impound all gambling machines.

“Some house helps have lost their jobs after going to bet with money from their bosses and losing it to gamblers. Such cases have been brought to the attention of police and we will not condone the vice,” said Mr Tunoi.

The police boss noted that the most affected were boda boda riders, and secondary and polytechnic students, adding that some had lost their school fees in bets.

Helb money

“We have also received cases where university students, after getting loans from the Higher Education Loans Board, have used the money to bet, only to regret after losing the cash to the cartels that own the betting machines."

In Mumias, police boss Peter Kattam said no arrests were made during the seizure of gambling machines. The owners were suspected to have either not been in during the raid or had been tipped off and escaped before police arrived.

In Homa Bay County, security personnel confiscated 300 gambling machines worth Sh15 million.

County Commissioner Irungu Macharia supervised the machines' destruction at the Homa Bay Police Station and warned that the authorities would not relent in their quest to eradicate gambling.

“We have intensified crackdowns to ensure nobody continues operating gambling machines in this county. All security personnel are coordinating to end this illegal activity."

Mr Macharia, who was accompanied by Police Commander Marius Tum and his Administration Police counterpart, Michael Mutonyi, said they seized Sh20,000 from the machines and that the money would be handed over to the Government.

He expressed concern that the machines had ruined many children and families.

“There are a number of children who do not concentrate on their studies while families have broken up because of the gambling machines. This illegal activity must stop."

The commissioner also urged traders to shun illegal businesses. “We will continue the crackdown on illicit brews and other illegal business activities."

In Embu, police confiscated 200 betting machines valued at Sh12 million in a house believed to be an assembly plant, a few kilometres from Embu town.

The apartment owner was arrested during the raid led by County Commissioner Esther Maina and police boss Cyrus Gichunge on Tuesday.

Ms Maina said a foreigner who had rented the house for business purposes had escaped.

She said some of the machines had money in them, leading officers to suspect that the foreigner rented them out during the day and repossessed them in the evening.

“Landlords whose houses are used to store these machines will face the law,” Maina warned.