The newly appointed Gambling Regulatory Authority director-general, Peter Maina Karimi, is fighting two court cases seeking to overturn his appointment over claims he lacked the required 10 years’ senior management experience.
Mr Karimi, who became the regulator’s inaugural director-general in February 2026, is facing separate challenges before the High Court and the Employment and Labour Relations Court questioning the legality of his appointment.
However, he denies lacking the required experience, saying the appointing authority found he met all statutory qualifications after an open and competitive recruitment process. He said his appointment was done procedurally and that he is qualified for the position.
The High Court petition was filed by lawyer Patrick Mwashigadi, while the Employment and Labour Relations Court case was lodged by Chebon Kiprop Benjamin.
In the High Court proceedings, Mr Karimi wants the petition struck out or transferred to the specialist labour court, arguing that challenges to the recruitment and appointment of a public officer are employment disputes reserved for the Employment and Labour Relations Court. He maintains that both petitions are based on unfounded allegations.
The two cases challenge the appointment on similar grounds but through different legal routes.
The petitioners allege Mr Karimi’s appointment breached the Gambling Control Act because he allegedly lacked the minimum 10 years’ senior management experience required for the position. Section 16(2)(c) of the Gambling Control Act requires the Director-General to have at least 10 years’ senior management experience in a public or private institution.
The petitioners argue that Mr Karimi’s publicly available professional history shows only about five years as CEO of Acumen Communications Limited between 2017 and 2022, meaning he was ineligible for appointment.
In the High Court petition, Mr Mwashigadi argues that Mr Karimi’s previous management role at Acumen Communications, a company linked to the Mchezo Bet betting platform, breached statutory safeguards requiring the regulator’s independence from gambling interests.
Mr Mwashigadi argues the appointment was therefore unconstitutional, unlawful and void, and wants the High Court to suspend Mr Karimi from office pending determination of the petition.
In the Labour Court’s case lodged by Mr Chebon, the petitioner claims the Gambling Regulatory Authority has not disclosed the positions or institutions it relied on to conclude that Mr Karimi met the statutory qualification threshold.
Mr Chebon also wants the Registrar of Companies compelled to produce corporate records, saying they are needed to establish Mr Karimi’s tenure at Acumen Communications and determine whether his appointment complied with the law.
Both petitioners also allege that Mr Karimi’s association with Umsuka Capital Limited and Acumen Communications breached the Gambling Control Act’s independence requirements.
However, Mr Karimi says there is no constitutional controversy surrounding his appointment and says the Mwashigandi’s petition does not establish any constitutional violations with the precision required by law.
He says the case was filed before the wrong forum because it fundamentally contests his recruitment to public office.
“The core issues raised herein pertaining to my appointment constitute disputes of an employment nature,” Mr Karimi says in his replying affidavit.
He further denies breaching the law, saying the petitions are founded on falsehoods and misrepresentation and fail to establish any constitutional or statutory violations in his appointment.
He says he was recruited through an open competitive process after the Gambling Regulatory Authority advertised the vacancy in January before announcing his appointment on February 26.
He argues the petitioners selectively rely on one aspect of his career, particularly his tenure at Acumen Communications, while ignoring his broader professional experience that was evaluated during the recruitment process.
Mr Karimi maintains that the appointing authority was satisfied that he met all the statutory requirements, including the experience threshold under the Gambling Control Act, before appointing him Director-General.
He accuses the petitioners of withholding material facts and insists he fully meets the statutory qualifications for the office.
The court has directed parties in the ELRC case to exchange pleadings and fixed the matter for hearing on July 8.
Neither the High Court nor the Employment and Labour Relations Court has determined the merits of the allegations against Karimi.
