The Head of Presidential Special Projects and Creative Economy, Dennis Itumbi, is scheduled to meet with content creators on Monday, June 9, to address the ongoing dispute over the recent ban on betting promotions.
The controversy was triggered by a directive from the Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB), issued on May 29, which prohibited celebrities, influencers, and content creators from endorsing or promoting gambling activities. The directive has been met with backlash, particularly from digital creatives who rely heavily on such endorsements for income.
In response to the ban, several content creators voiced their frustrations during a press briefing held on the evening of Wednesday, June 4. They emphasized the impact the ban has had on their livelihoods and called for immediate dialogue with the authorities.
“We respectfully urge BCLB to suspend the ban and sit with us within 48 hours for discussions on this matter. We are more than happy to engage and negotiate as we hope for a suitable model that ensures responsible advertising via age-restriction content regulations,” the content creators said.
The upcoming meeting with Itumbi is seen as a step toward finding a compromise between promoting responsible gambling and protecting the economic interests of content creators in Kenya’s growing digital economy.
