Match-fixing and cheating: the terms Kenyan gambling law uses

The Gambling Control Act, 2025 has no offence called match-fixing. The nearest provision is section 110: winning money by wagering on the event of a sport through unlawful means is an offence, with a fine of up to two million shillings, up to two years in prison, or both.

By Nairobi Football Editorial (prepared with AI tools under our editorial policy) · Last updated 2026-10-04

Terms and where to find them

Match-fixing

Everyday term for arranging a result, or an event inside a match, in advance so that bets on it win. The words do not appear in the Act. Conduct of that kind is reached through the cheating offence below when someone wins money by it.

Cheating by wagering on an event (s.110)

A person who, "in wagering on the event of a gamble, sport, pastime or exercise through unlawful means wins from another person or on behalf of another person, a sum of money or valuable thing" commits an offence. The maximum penalty is a fine of two million shillings, two years' imprisonment, or both.

Sentencing factors (s.111)

A court setting the penalty for an offence under the Act considers the gambling activity in issue, the investment amount, the duration of the offence and any other aggravating factors.

Suspicious activity report (r.93)

A licensee must report to the Authority "any suspicious activity, transaction and any fraud arising in their operations" within twenty-four hours of becoming aware of it.

Venue-initiated exclusion (r.75)

A licensed operator may exclude a gambler it reasonably believes "poses a risk to public order, security, or integrity of gambling activities", and must tell the Authority within twenty-four hours.

Unlicensed betting (s.98, s.92)

Operating any form of gambling without a valid licence is an offence, and so is soliciting any person to bet in an unlicensed gambling activity or site. Checking a bookmaker's licence is the practical defence.

Betting with a child (s.109)

Betting with a child, receiving a bet through a child, or sending a child any document relating to betting is an offence.

What this page does not cover

Other Kenyan laws, for example on sport, bribery and fraud, and the disciplinary rules of football bodies, can also apply to a fixed match. They were not read for this page, so they are not described here. If someone offers to sell you a "fixed" result, nothing in the offer can be checked, and paying for it is paying a stranger on trust.