Kenya’s betting culture is undoubtedly at alarming levels especially by the young generation.
Kenya has the highest number of betting youth in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to research.
The GeoPoll rapid survey established that more than half (54 per cent) of youth in the in the region have tried their hand at gambling with Kenya having the highest number of betters at 76 per cent.
It is followed by Uganda at 57 per cent with Ghana having the least number at 42 per cent.
But now the high school kids have joined the betting game regardless of the 18+ age restriction for all gamblers.
This is after seven students at Nanyuki High School were Tuesday evening arrested and detained at Nanyuki Police Station for gambling.
The students, who had been sent home for school fees, were busted at Funland PlayStation in Nanyuki town.
They were immediately arrested on grounds of gambling in their school uniform.
County Police Commander Maxwell Nyaema said police received a tip-off from the owner of the premises.
When the officers arrived at the scene, they reportedly posed as gamblers and found the students gambling.
The owner of the premises was also arrested on grounds that the facility violated children’s rights.
The students were later released while the owner is expected to be presented in court.
Gambling and betting are directly linked to depression and this explains the suicide rates and depression-related murders we have in Kenya.
According to World Health Organisation (WHO), the number of people living with depression and dying from depression in Kenya is growing year by year, with males dying from suicide out of depression being higher than the number of females, probably because females are able to speak out more.
Kenya ranks number six in depression cases in Africa.
Depression in the country has been linked to domestic violence, drug abuse, unemployment and serious financial constraints in the country.
The number of psychiatrists in the country is set to be increased to curb the issue of increasing suicide cases caused by depression.
The number of suicides linked to depression reported in Kenya rose by 58 per cent between 2008 and 2017 to reach 421, official data reveal.
The report also shows that more men are likely to commit suicide than women. Out of the 421 suicide cases in 2017, 330 involved men.