Pambazuka lottery suspends Kenya ops to protest new tax

Kenya’s youngest national lottery has suspended its operations to protest the country’s new gambling taxes.

On Sunday, the Pambazuka National Lottery (PNL) announced that its January 7 draw would be its last in Kenya, following the government’s imposition on January 1 of a new uniform 35% tax on all gambling products.

PNL’s parent company Bradley Kenya launched the new lottery in July 2016, but the company said PNL would cease operations until a “sustainable regulatory framework” was established. PNL said lottery winners would have until April 7 to claim their winnings.

The PNL sued the government last October, based on the operator’s belief that the tax was an unconstitutional punishment meted out against a single industry and that President Uhuru Kenyatta had exceeded his authority by signing the tax into law.