Nairobi — Kenya’s largest betting firm, Betika, is facing mounting regulatory and legal pressure following renewed calls for criminal investigations into its alleged involvement in the acquisition of stolen Safaricom subscriber data in what is emerging as one of the country’s biggest privacy scandals.
The latest developments stem from a High Court judgment delivered in May and a subsequent complaint lodged with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Kenya (GRAK), seeking criminal action against Shop and Deliver Limited, the company behind the Betika brand, as well as its directors.
At the centre of the controversy is a long-running case involving the theft and sale of Safaricom customer information allegedly extracted by former employees between 2018 and 2019. The breach is said to have affected nearly 29.5 million subscribers and included sensitive information such as personal details, M-Pesa transaction histories, location data and betting activity.
The complainants argue that forensic evidence compiled by investigators and referenced in court proceedings links Betika and several other betting firms to the purchase and use of the stolen information for commercial purposes.
The High Court, in a judgment issued in Constitutional Petition E095 of 2026, referred to forensic analysis of WhatsApp communications that investigators say documented the movement of subscriber data among various individuals and entities. According to court records, some of the communications referenced names associated with betting companies, including Betika and Odibets.
Those findings have now triggered demands for fresh criminal investigations into whether betting firms knowingly benefited from illegally obtained customer information.
The complaint filed with the DCI alleges potential offences ranging from handling stolen property and computer fraud to money laundering and conspiracy to commit a felony. Investigators are being urged to examine financial transactions linked to the alleged purchase of subscriber records and determine whether corporate executives were involved in the scheme.
The matter has also raised questions about Betika’s continued eligibility to hold gambling licences.
Under Kenya’s Gambling Control Act, regulators are required to conduct fit-and-proper assessments on licensees, directors, shareholders and beneficial owners. Industry analysts say that if criminal investigations progress to charges or prosecutions, regulators could face increasing pressure to review the company’s licences.
The scrutiny comes at a sensitive moment for Kenya’s booming betting industry, which has increasingly found itself under the spotlight over data privacy, consumer protection and responsible gambling concerns.
Observers note that the arrest of a senior figure linked to rival bookmaker Odibets in a related investigation has heightened attention on the wider network of betting companies mentioned in the forensic evidence. While authorities have not announced any charges against Betika or its founders, pressure is growing on investigators to explain why the matter has remained unresolved for years despite the existence of forensic reports and criminal proceedings against former Safaricom employees.
The allegations extend beyond Kenya. Ethiopian regulators suspended Betika’s operations in that country in late 2025 as part of a broader investigation into alleged tax and financial compliance violations involving multiple betting firms. Ethiopian authorities have accused several operators of concealing substantial revenues, allegations that remain under investigation.
Privacy advocates argue that the Safaricom data breach remains unresolved because much of the information allegedly extracted from the telecommunications giant has never been recovered. They contend that any company still holding such information could face additional scrutiny under Kenya’s Data Protection Act.
For Betika, a company that has grown into one of Kenya’s most recognisable betting brands through aggressive marketing and sports sponsorships, the stakes are enormous. Any adverse findings by investigators or regulators could threaten not only its licences but also its relationships with banks, advertisers and corporate partners.
Neither Betika nor its directors had publicly responded to the allegations contained in the complaint at the time the investigative report was published. The DCI and GRAK have also not announced any enforcement action arising from the latest complaint.
As pressure mounts, attention is now turning to whether Kenyan authorities will reopen investigations into the alleged beneficiaries of the Safaricom data theft or whether one of the country’s most explosive data privacy scandals will continue to linger unresolved.
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