The SportPesa Factor: Separating Facts From Chaff

Amid the push and pull between the SportPesa firm and the Kenyan government, there is a lot to put into consideration and rethink about the license revoking matter. The claims leveled by the government against SportPesa do not add up.

By revoking the license of SportPesa, there is a lot at stake that the country risks losing. People only see SportPesa in terms of betting but seem not to be aware of what the company does behind the curtains in supporting sports and talent across the country.

Below is a fact file about the company:

Revenue earned Vs Tax remittance

Has SportPesa been paying taxes? The government says No but the numbers indicate otherwise. According to the government, the whole betting sector earned 200 billion shillings but only paid 4 billion shillings as taxes. This is not true.

SportPesa earned 20 billion Shillings in revenue (not 100 billion shillings as it is being claimed) and paid a whopping 6.4 billion shillings in taxes to the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA). Its gross profits stood at 9 billion shillings.

The numbers issued by the government do not add up. It is clear that the sector did not generate the 200 billion shillings in 2018 as it is being purported.

Socio-economic investments and contributions

SportPesa has done more in the sporting sector in Kenya than the government. This is the truth. Some government organizations are many ways too far to hit this milestone.

In sporting activities, SportPesa has invested a total of about 1.3 billion shillings.

For instance, in football, the company has invested 693 million shillings while in Rugby, 600 million shillings have been coughed out by the company. The boxing and rally sectors have not been left behind as 75 and 2.8 million shillings have been used respectively.

The company has also invested 73 million shillings in agriculture, environmental conservation, and water. Knowing the importance of the education sector, the company has channeled 57 million shillings into the sector. To the health sector, SportPesa has so far given 41 million shillings.

Most sporting activities in Kenya have been successful thanks to SportPesa. Sportpesa has been sponsoring football leagues, rugby, football clubs, boxing and even bought jerseys and kits for clubs.

The following have been the beneficiaries of the Sportpesa sponsorships:

• Football Kenya Federation (FKF)
• Sportpesa Premier League also known as Kenya Premier League
• AFC Leopards
• Gor Mahia FC
• Sportpesa Shield
• Kits for Africa
• Boxing (Fatma Zarika)

From these statistics, it is blatant that the company has come in handy and contributed enormously to the developments of the country. How are these organizations going to survive without sponsorship? Some of them are going to tumble if they are taken over by wantons.

These contributions came at a time when the socio-economic sector of the country was ailing and crawling on its knees. The youthful population had at least gotten a place to upheave their income and showcase their talents in grass root clubs through these sponsorships.

Hitherto, the company is one of the most influential brands, not just in Kenya but in Africa and some part of Europe. Despite all these efforts to contribute towards the country’s economy, the Kenyan government is pulling tags with the company and trying to dispel its existence by revoking its license.

Related Content:

• We Are Tax Compliant – Ronald Karauri, CEO SportPesa