KENYA Kenya – Betin closes 500 points, 2,500 Kenyans will lose their jobs 6 years ago Samuel Post Views: 1,348 Gaming firm Betin last Friday announced that it would close down 500 retail outlets, rendering another 2,500 Kenyans jobless. The firm said in a statement that the government’s hard stance left it with no option but to issue its staff with redundancy notices. LOST JOBS They will join more than 2,000 others who have lost their jobs since July in a wave of layoffs by companies seeking to remain afloat. The news has created fear among workers in the formal and informal sectors. Things are unlikely to get better after the government announced that it will ban imports of second-hand electronic gadgets from January next year. Mr Ayub Macharia, the director of environmental education in the Ministry of Environment, said Kenya has been used as a dumping ground for electronic waste from developed countries. “We are putting in place strict regulations to deter imports of obsolete electronics and the move to ban imports of old electronic gadgets will be contained in the Extended Producer Responsibility Regulations,” he said. ELECTRONIC GADGETS The move will make importers and sellers of electronic gadgets, including television sets, radios and mobile phones, responsible for disposing of them when they can no longer be used. “The sellers of the non-biodegradable equipment will have to adhere to a deposit return scheme,” – he said. This means that a certain fee will be added on top of the gadget price, which buyers will either get back when they return the product or top up to get a new product. Mr Macharia added that the regulations will be in full force by March 2020. ELECTRONIC WASTE He accused government offices and parastatals of holding the largest consignment of electronic waste (e-waste) in the form of television sets, fridges and electric cables. Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Centre (WEEE) General Manager Boniface Mbithi said Kenya generates over 44,000 tonnes of e-waste every year. The gadgets end up polluting the environment as they are not properly disposed of. “The e-waste is more because we do not have a framework to capture the data. Our institution only collects 25 tonnes monthly, though we have a capacity of 100 tonnes,” – he said. Among the firms legally licensed to recycle e-waste are Simonet Kenya, EWIK, Sintmund and WEEE, while Safaricom and the Communication Authority of Kenya serve as collection centres. Source: nairobinews.nation.co.ke About Post Author Samuel I am a journalist specializing in gambling in Africa and around the world. I am particularly interested in stories about games and casinos. See author's posts SamuelI am a journalist specializing in gambling in Africa and around the world. I am particularly interested in stories about games and casinos. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Print Tags: Betin, close shops, lost jobs Continue Reading Previous Kenya – shop prepared to host the FIFA 20 tournament in NairobiNext Kenya – Odibets uses 35,000 kits sponsorship to promote safe gambling More Stories KENYA ONLINE Kenyans raise alarm over betting scheme sending many youths to early graves 9 hours ago Szarlot BETTING HOT NEWS KENYA Nearly Sh1 trillion is gambled in a year, figure keeps growing 1 day ago Samuel KENYA ONLINE Parliament Goes After ‘Aviator’ Betting Game 5 days ago Samuel EXPERTS KENYA Identification of and intervention in gambling effects among vulnerable groups in public universities in Kenya 6 days ago Samuel EXPERTS KENYA MPs pass 10 amendments in efforts to curb money laundering in Kenya 6 days ago Szarlot KENYA ONLINE Slotegrator Breaks Down Africa’s $17.63 Billion Betting Growth 1 week ago Iwo Bulski BETTING KENYA Strict measures await betting, lottery industry operators in Nairobi 2 weeks ago Samuel EXPERTS KENYA NACADA Sensitised Boda Boda Riders On Drug Risks 2 weeks ago Samuel CASINO KENYA A History Of Casinos In Kenya: From Land-Based To Digital 2 weeks ago Szarlot BETTING KENYA Nairobi’s betting industry faces scrutiny as MCAs seek to restrict it to five-star hotels 2 weeks ago Samuel BETTING KENYA Betting firms’ relief from new taxes push 3 weeks ago Samuel BETTING KENYA Man loses N33m meant for studies abroad to sports betting 3 weeks ago Szarlot Leave a Reply Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Email * Website Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.