SportPesa on Friday responded to the government sanction on its Paybill number.

The statement outlined that the company was in the process of challenging the drastic by the Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB).

"SportPesa is extremely disappointed by the recent malicious actions by BCLB to block our payment systems despite the existence of a court order.

"This is the latest in a series of abrupt measures from BCLB that only serve to discourage and disrupt business," the statement read in part.

The company went on to explain that it is operating according to the law and has complied with all tax requirements installed by the government.

BCLB revokes licenses for 27 betting companies

An order from BCLB earlier on the week revoked licenses for 27 betting companies operating in Kenya.

Later, a list of some of the companies was circulated indicating that Safaricom had been instructed to shut down their Paybill numbers.

On Friday afternoon, SportPesa users trying to access the site were greeted with a message from Safaricom which outlined that it was not accessible due to a government action.

"Failed. Dear Customer, this Paybill is unavailable due to the Government directive to suspend Betting Paybill numbers. Kindly contact your Betting Company," the message read.

The government had also given all gamblers until Friday night to withdraw proceeds from the betting companies before the shutdown took place.