Nairobi News

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An angry Uhuru and how the SportPesa takeover was plotted

By John Kamau January 26th, 2021 1 min read

Between September 21 and 22, 2019, President Uhuru Kenyatta was attending a summit in Singapore and after the two-day meeting held at the Shangri-La Hotel, he was driven to the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix 2019 which was coinciding with his trip.

Kenyatta loves grand prix races.

Those accompanying the president at the Marina Bay Street Circuit recall he was in a jovial mood until the Silverstone-based UK team, well-known as BWT Racing Point F1 Team, showed up. For that season, it had been rebranded “SportPesa Racing Point F1 Team”, acknowledging SportPesa as the lead sponsor.

“The President was furious,” recalls a member of the presidential team.

“Is this our money?”  He posed.

Extravagant bookmaker

It was this event that would finally sink the fate of SportPesa, showcasing it as an extravagant bookmaker, and a tax dodger.

Read full story HERE.