The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has announced that it collected Sh13.23 billion in excise duty from betting companies during the 2024/25 financial year, marking a significant increase from the Sh10.6 billion raised in the previous year.
The amount surpasses KRA’s target of Sh11.3 billion for the previous financial year, showing improved tax compliance in the betting sector. The betting tax also rose slightly to Sh5.7 billion from Sh5.5 billion collected in the 2023/24 financial year.
In a statement, KRA attributed the improved performance to its “Taxation at Source” initiative, which includes the integration of betting firms’ systems with its own platform. This has allowed real-time monitoring of betting transactions and improved transparency and compliance.
“This translates to a performance rate of 103.7% and a growth of 22.0%,” KRA said. “The integration of systems has made tax collection more effective.”
The growth in tax collection from the betting sector comes despite slower economic growth. Kenya’s economy grew by 4.7 percent in 2024, down from 5.7 percent in 2023.
Overall, KRA collected Sh2.571 trillion in total revenue during the 2024/25 financial year, a 6.8 percent increase compared to the previous year.