SportPesa CEO seeks open dialogue with Kenyan government Ted Menmuir, SBC News · January 8, 2018 at 9:23 am Following the termination of all SportPesa Kenyan sports sponsorships, Chief Executive Ronald Karauri has defended his firm’s position against MP backlash. Entering 2018, Karauri ordered SportPesa to suspend all active sports sponsorships in protest of the Kenyan TNA government’s blanket 35% tax hike on betting and lottery services. During 2017 High Court hearings, Karauri had previously warned the government that his firm would be forced to suspend sponsorships, should the government implement its ‘unworkable’ tax framework. Executing the sponsorship blackout, Karauri has been accused of blackmailing the government through SportPesa’s marketing initiatives. Speaking to Kenyan news sources, Karauri states that his firm’s actions were tenable having warned the TNA government of the impact of its industry tax hike on wider Kenyan sporting stakeholders.
