Matiang'i Orders Crackdown on Foreigners Running Illegal Businesses in Kenya

Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiang’i has ordered a crackdown on foreigners doing illegal business in the country.

Speaking after a Betting Control and Licensing stakeholders meeting in Nairobi on Monday, Matiang'i says there are several immigrants running businesses in Kenya without the required permits.

He has also ordered the immediate deportation of all foreigners engaging in illegal gambling businesses.

CS Matiang'i has further directed Immigration Principal Secretary Gordon Kihalangwa to review the work permits of all foreign nationals who applied to do business in the country.

“My firm instructions is that anyone who applied for a different permit and ended in the gambling business, I am ready to sign their deportation papers today. We have to clean up the sector,” declares Matiang’i.

“We are not using the guise of revenue to allow a broken sector… Over 90% of players in gaming are foreigners, they repatriate a huge amount of money to their countries.”

He has accused foreigners running gambling businesses of evading taxes, noting that the gaming sector owes the government Sh26 billion in unpaid taxes.

“We are here to listen to each other but not to condemn each other, we respect your investment but understand that we have a country to protect and not when asked to pay taxes you rush to the court,” he notes.

“Advise your employees who are from outside and have permits to do serious businesses, let us respect our country. Where proposals are brought to us in the right way we shall accommodate them.”