Kenya has appointed a consortium led by RSM Eastern Africa and Sweden’s QLOT Consulting as transaction adviser for the country’s first national lottery, marking a key step toward selecting an operator and establishing a state-backed lottery system.
The National Lottery Board said Thursday that the consortium will oversee the procurement process for the lottery operator, support transaction structuring and help prepare the project for launch.
The appointment followed an international tender conducted under Kenya’s Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act, 2015, using the Quality and Cost Based Selection methodology.
According to the Board, the consortium emerged as the highest-ranked bidder.
RSM Eastern Africa will provide transaction advisory and institutional strengthening expertise, while QLOT Consulting, an associate member of the World Lottery Association, will contribute experience from lottery procurement projects in international markets. The assignment also includes a knowledge transfer program aimed at strengthening the Board’s internal capacity.
“The appointment of a credible, multidisciplinary Transaction Advisor is a defining step in building a National Lottery that Kenyans can trust,” National Lottery Board Chairperson Farida Karoney said in a statement. “Our National Lottery will be structured transparently, governed responsibly and built to international best practice.”
The National Lottery Board was established under the National Lottery Act of 2023 with the mandate to establish, oversee and safeguard the country’s national lottery, procure and contract an operator, and administer the National Lottery Fund.
Kenya’s broader gambling industry is regulated by the Gambling Regulatory Authority under the Gambling Control Act of 2025. While the future lottery operator will be licensed by the regulator, it will remain contractually accountable to the National Lottery Board.
The government said proceeds from the lottery, after prizes and operating costs, will be paid into the National Lottery Fund and allocated to public interest initiatives, including charitable and humanitarian work, youth and women’s economic empowerment, sports, arts and the creative economy, national heritage, health, education, emergency response and other national development projects.
The Board said responsible gaming measures will be embedded into the lottery’s design, including age verification, spending controls, self exclusion mechanisms, advertising standards and clear disclosure of winning odds.
The next phase of the project will focus on launching a competitive process to attract and appoint a lottery operator.
The Board said timelines for the procurement will be announced later, adding that it would prioritize transparency and rigor throughout the process.