Sports betting operator SportPesa wants to put Kenya’s gambling regulators behind bars for continuing to take action against the company despite a court order. 

This weekend, Kenyan media reported that Milestone Games Ltd had filed legal papers seeking the six-month imprisonment of seven members of the Betting Control & Licensing Board (BCLB). The seven are accused of violating a Nairobi High Court order requiring the regulator to temporarily cease enforcement actions against Milestone. 

The seven individuals targeted in the court filing include BCLB chair Cyrus Maina and board members Peter Kanaiya, Sabrina Kanini, Daniel Koech, Joy Masinde, Peter Mbugi and Paul Njaga. Milestone claims the seven are displaying “utter disdain for court orders and the judicial process” and seeks to bar all seven from holding public office until the matter is resolved. 

Milestone received a BCLB license in October, after which it launched an online betting site bearing the SportPesa brand. The site was shut down the same day it launched after the BCLB raised questions over ownership of the SportPesa brand.