NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 5— The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has reported sustained performance in excise duty collection from betting services, surpassing its targets for the 2024/2025 financial year despite a slowdown in the broader economy.
According to a statement released Tuesday, the taxman collected Sh13.233 billion in excise duty on betting services, outperforming its target of Sh11.288 billion.
This marks a 117.2% performance rate, up from the Sh10.598 billion collected in the previous financial year.
In addition to excise duty, Betting Tax revenue also exceeded expectations, with Sh5.70 billion collected against a target of Sh5.495 billion.
This represents a 103.7% performance rate and a year-on-year growth of 22%.
KRA attributes the improved performance to its Taxation at Source strategy, which includes the integration of betting firms’ systems with KRA’s digital platforms.
This integration enables real-time monitoring of betting transactions, improving compliance and transparency in revenue collection.
“The integration has enhanced compliance and transparency and facilitated effective collection,” said Rispah Simiyu, Commissioner for Large and Medium Taxpayers.
The surge in betting-related tax revenues comes at a time when Kenya’s economy is experiencing a slowdown.
The 2025 Economic Survey reported that the country’s economy grew by 4.7% in 2024, down from 5.7% in 2023, reflecting both global economic uncertainty and domestic challenges such as reduced consumption and tightened credit conditions.
Despite these pressures, KRA’s overall revenue collection for FY 2024/2025 rose to Sh2.571 trillion, representing a 6.8% growth compared to the previous year.
This growth underscores the success of targeted revenue collection from emerging sectors such as digital betting.
KRA says it remains committed to broadening the tax base through digital innovations and strategic monitoring.
