President William Ruto has appointed Joseph Kirui Limo, the former Member of Parliament for Kipkelion East, as the Non-Executive Chairperson of the Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA). He succeeds Jane Mwikali Makau.
The appointment, announced in the Kenya Gazette on 24 October 2025, takes effect immediately and will run for three years under the Gambling Control Act, 2025. The notice also confirmed the end of Makau’s tenure, which began in 2022.
Limo, who served as MP between 2017 and 2022, will now lead the Gambling Regulatory Authority, the national body responsible for regulating Kenya’s betting, lotteries, and gaming sector. His appointment comes as the Authority assumes full regulatory powers following the transition from the former Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB).
The move marks a significant step in Kenya’s efforts to modernise gambling oversight and promote responsible gaming practices. Limo’s leadership will be central to implementing reforms outlined in the new Gambling Control Act, aimed at improving accountability within the fast-growing iGaming industry.
Outgoing chairperson Jane Mwikali Makau has been reassigned to the National Water Harvesting and Storage Authority (NWHSA) as Non-Executive Chairperson for a similar three-year term, effective Octo24 25 October.
Makau previously led both the BCLB and, later, the recently implemented GRA, where she guided Kenya’s transition to a unified gaming regulatory system. Her new assignment places her within a strategic agency governed by the Water Act (Cap. 372).
New Gambling Regulatory Authority Chairperson, Joseph Kirui Limo. Source: Mzalendo.com
The same Gazette Notice confirmed new appointments to the Gambling Regulatory Authority Board by Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku. The new members are Emma Wambui Mbugua, Anne Derasso Illo, Fredrick Odumo Nying’uro, and Valarie Angela Akinyi Lomosi. Each will serve for a three-year term.
Their appointment concludes the tenure of Anne Too, Innocent Muganda, Ernest Kamau, Janet Mwawasi Oben, and Edwin Irungu Gikunju, who previously sat on the Authority’s board.
The reshuffles are part of President Ruto’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA). The policy seeks to strengthen governance, improve service delivery, and ensure efficiency across state corporations.
According to senior government sources, the leadership changes aim to enhance institutional accountability and ensure that public agencies, including those regulating gaming, water, and other key sectors, deliver effectively on national development priorities.
The transition from the Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB) to a more vibrant and independent board, the Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA), is a milestone in Kenya’s gambling sector. According to the information shared by the BCLB, GRA is in the process of developing regulations in accordance with the new Gambling Control Act, 2025. The regulations will cover all aspects of betting and gambling in Kenya.
The transition process constitutes the inception of a more streamlined and transparent monitoring regime that is geared towards safeguarding consumers and industry integrity. For years, Kenya’s gambling industry has had challenges such as unlicensed operators and
inadequate consumer protection. The GRA’s mission is to eradicate these challenges.
As the GRA assumes complete control, stakeholders expect more transparency in license issuance, tax compliance, and player protection measures. The reforms also aim to promote responsible gambling and limit the social harms linked to betting, especially among the youth.
With President Ruto’s appointment of Joseph Kirui Limo as the Gambling Regulatory Authority’s Chairperson, the board’s leadership is positioned to steer this regulatory shift effectively. The introduction of revised regulations under the Act is therefore not only administrative but also transformative, ushering Kenya’s gambling sector into a new era of professionalism, innovation, and ethical governance.
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