No more gambling in Muranga as Governor Wa Iria revokes licenses

Murang’a Governor Mwangi wa Iria has revoked licenses issued to betting premises following an outcry by local residents.

The revoking of the licenses came after it was found that several youth, among them school going children had engaged in petty crimes in order to get money to spend on betting and gambling games.

Speaking at Nyaga Secondary School in Gatanga Constituency, when presenting Deputy President William Ruto’s Ksh.3 million donation to the institution, Wa Iria said betting activities must come to an end with revocation of trade licenses issued by the Murang’a County Government.

“The betting premises must be closed with immediate effect. The licenses have been revoked following complaints raised by the public,” the governor said.

The governor urged local authorities to launch a crackdown on betting businesses in the area, terming the activities as an exploitation of school going children.

“We are not going to re-new any betting licensing for it is not a product for consumption to our youth,” added the Governor.

The order by the governor was welcomed by teachers who had last week reported a trend of male students skipping classes and a majority of them being around gambling centres.