President Ruto entrusts steel billionaire Narendra Raval to head the National Lottery

President William Ruto and Narendra Raval 

President William Ruto has officially named Narendra Raval, a millionaire, to be in charge of the project committee that will set up the National Lottery.

President Ruto said in a gazette announcement on Friday, February 17, 2023, that the lottery's revenues will be utilized to aid the less fortunate.

The 25-person project team will be divided into two groups: the technical committee, which will be led by Linda Musumba, and the steering committee, which will be represented by Gideon G. Thuranira.

"To maximize public participation in a national lottery whose earnings would go to worthy charities and help those in need, as well as to leverage the collaborative dynamics among the people by making them contributors to the solution.

Part of the announcement states, "It is announced that His Excellency Hon. William Samoei Ruto has constituted a Presidential Taskforce on the formation of a national lottery, which shall be constructed in two levels."

Governors' Representatives Paul Russo, Judith Karigu Kiragu, Anne Wakathiru Njenga, Grace Kaman, Abdillahi K. Mutwafy, and Jackline Chelangat Tonui are also members of the steering committee.

Wanjiku Wakogi, Eric Aligula, Collins Kiprono, Peter Mbugi, Fred Mbasi, Geoffrey Malombe, Eric Korir, Wilson Njenga, Catherine Ochanda, and Murimi Murage will make up the technical committee.

After the recruitment, the committee will have to do a thorough analysis of the best ways to set up national lotteries in other territories.

The rules and strategy for running the lottery must also be made.

In the fiscal year that ended in June 2022, Treasury earned Sh3.294 billion from gambling; this year, it anticipates earning Sh15 billion.

The council will also be in charge of setting up the right talks for the launch of the national lottery with all of the important national stakeholders.

The committee will also look at the current institutional, regulatory, legal, and administrative frameworks and processes in the betting and gaming sectors before making complete restructuring recommendations.

The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), betting businesses, and Safaricom, which all make billions of dollars, are the main ones to benefit from the growth and spread of gambling.

In 2021, the telecom's gaming revenue grew by 40% to reach Sh5.98 billion, which was more than the earnings of more than a third of the companies traded on the Nairobi Stock Exchange.