Women’s Group Warns of Gambling Crisis Impact on Kenyan Families
The Muslim Women Advancement of Rights and Protection estimates Kenyans lose $684.75 million annually to betting, with women and children bearing the economic and emotional burden as partners gamble away family income for rent, school fees, and household expenses.
Research Documents Widespread Youth Participation
MWARP’s October 8, 2025 statement revealed that 84% of Kenyan youth have tried betting, with one-third participating daily. Daily losses total approximately $1.87 million, representing funds that could cover essential family expenses. Women increasingly become sole breadwinners as partners gamble away household income, leading to financial strain, domestic tension, family breakdowns, malnutrition, and school dropouts.
“Betting and gambling present our society with a devastating paradox wrapped in a seductive illusion. What promises financial freedom delivers financial bondage, what advertises itself as entertainment becomes enslavement. Betting platforms show jackpot winners while hiding millions who lose everything, presenting gambling as legitimate entrepreneurship when it is actually a mathematically guaranteed system extracting wealth from the desperate to funnel it into corporate profits,” stated Executive Director Rahma Gulam Abbas.
Organization Proposes Five-Point Emergency Action Plan
MWARP condemned technology and celebrity endorsements for normalizing gambling, noting mobile money platforms have transformed smartphones into “24-hour casinos” while influential figures profit from promoting betting. The organization unveiled emergency measures including legislation holding celebrities accountable for platform promotion, mandatory spousal notification for gambling accounts exceeding thresholds, emergency funds for affected women and children, community healing centers, and youth vocational training programs.
The “Reclaim Our Families” campaign will implement awareness workshops, community support groups, and legislative advocacy. MWARP urged religious leaders, women’s groups, schools, media houses, and government agencies to act swiftly. They’re framing the situation as a moral emergency where betting companies exploit desperation and technology fuels addiction. Impacting millions of Kenyan households.
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