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Member of Parliament, Kasarani
Born
1978(48 yrs)
Region
Nairobi
Constituency
Kasarani
Public Views
Experience
Documented career positions
Ronald Kamwiko Karauri (born 1978) is a Kenyan businessman, former airline captain and politician serving as Member of Parliament for Kasarani Constituency in Nairobi County. He was elected in August 2022 as an Independent candidate, garnering 32,406 votes and making history as the first independent MP elected in Nairobi. Before joining politics, he was best known as CEO and co-founder of SportPesa, the gaming firm that rapidly grew into one of East Africa’s most prominent betting brands, and as a long-serving pilot and captain at Kenya Airways. Nicknamed “The Captain”, Karauri’s career arc runs from quitting a Mechanical Engineering degree at the University of Nairobi to join Kenya Airways as a cadet in 2000, flying for the national carrier for about 11 years, then steering SportPesa through rapid expansion, major sports sponsorships and prolonged regulatory battles, before turning to elective politics. As Kasarani MP, he presents himself as a results-driven technocrat blending aviation discipline, corporate strategy and sports-business networks, and has publicly aligned with the Kenya Kwanza government on key votes while maintaining his official independent status.
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First independent MP from Nairobi (2022): Elected Kasarani MP as an independent, defeating candidates from major parties and becoming the first independent legislator ever returned from Nairobi County.
Kenya Airways captain and aviation career: Served as a Kenya Airways pilot for about 11 years, rising from cadet and co-pilot to captain; his parliamentary record lists him as KQ captain from 2005–2015
SportPesa tax and licensing battles: As CEO, Karauri was a central figure in a high-profile tax and regulatory dispute with the Kenyan government, involving excise and withholding-tax interpretation. SportPesa’s Kenyan operations were halted in 2019 after licence issues and “hostile” regulation, leading to layoffs of hundreds of staff and suspension of major sports sponsorships, before a later Tax Appeals Tribunal ruling in the company’s favour.
Debate over gambling and social impact: Under his leadership, SportPesa became emblematic of Kenya’s betting boom — drawing both praise for sports investment and criticism from churches, civil-society groups and policymakers who linked betting to addiction and youth hardship. He consistently argued that fair taxation and responsible regulation, rather than blanket hostility, were the right policy tools.
SportPesa co-founder and CEO: Led SportPesa from a start-up (launched 2014) into a continental brand with major sponsorships for the Kenyan Premier League, Gor Mahia, AFC Leopards and partnerships with European clubs such as Everton and Arsenal — while being recognised among Kenya’s “Top 40 Under 40”.
Constituency investments in sports and education: Since election, he has publicly highlighted personally funding classroom construction and sponsorship of multiple grassroots football teams in Kasarani, positioning sports and youth programs as a core part of his development agenda.
Wealth and lifestyle scrutiny: Media profiles and commentary frequently highlight his significant wealth, high-end vehicles and lifestyle as a “billionaire MP”, prompting public debate about inequality and the optics of a gaming magnate representing a largely working-class constituency.
Political alignment questions as an Independent: Although elected as an independent, he has been associated with Kenya Kwanza parliamentary numbers and attended coalition meetings, feeding narratives that many independent MPs effectively bolstered the ruling alliance soon after the 2022 elections
