Former MP Kabando wa Kabando
Former Mukurweini MP Kabando wa Kabando has lifted the lid on Kenya’s hidden gambling crisis, revealing shocking truths about how betting ruined friendships, trapped youth, and still haunts the country today.
In 2011, Kabando was Assistant Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs when he first saw the dark side of betting. “18-year-olds were losing their lives before they even began,” he said.
Kabando didn’t wait for protocol. He went straight to then Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka, who also oversaw betting operations.
“He acted before sunset,” Kabando said. Immediate action was taken against rogue betting firms. But the victory came at a steep personal price.
Some of Kabando’s closest friends were secretly tied to these gambling empires. When they found out he was cracking down, they sent emissaries to warn him.
He refused to back down. The fallout was brutal. “I lost dear genuine friendships,” he admitted. Political enmity and toxic hostilities followed.
A quiet audit later exposed the scale of the illegal operations. Kabando claims that by the 2013 and 2017 elections, these same gambling moguls were bankrolling candidates, cementing their influence in politics.
Today, he says, little has changed. Gambling has spread across leafy suburbs and rural trading centres alike.
Parents from all walks of life are crying as their children fall into the trap of betting. Kabando calls it a “bandit business,” and warns that veiled political and religious tolerance has let it fester.
“Betting is a silent killer,” he said. “It turns vibrant youth into zombies. Entire families are paying the price.” Kabando’s words are a stark warning that Kenya’s gambling epidemic is far from over—and it could get worse if no one acts.
The former MP’s revelations are shaking the establishment and leaving Kenyans questioning who really benefits from the booming gambling industry.