A senior Government official on Tuesday caused an online debate after he claimed that SportPesa was posing more risks as compared to the problem of road carnage that Kenyans are currently facing.

Kenya Film and Classification Board (KFCB) CEO Ezekiel Mutua spoke shortly after SportPesa announced that it would cancel local sports sponsorship following an increase of their tax rate by 35 percent.

The betting company had called for consultations with the government where they would be allowed to continue with sports sponsorships in exchange for a more lenient tax rate.

Mutua, however, stated that many of the great athletes were not beneficiaries of the company's sponsorships.

"Our award winning athletes are not a product of SportsPesa sponsorship. Dennis Oliech, Victor Wanyama and Michael Olunga are not products of betting companies. We must not trade our values for profits," Mutua stated.

The KFCB boss castigated the betting culture, insisting that it degraded the moral values held by the Kenyan youth.

"The damage caused by sports betting will in the long run have more devastating effects than the road carnage we are witnessing. The moral decay caused by this demonic craze cannot be compensated through any short term gains brought by SportsPesa sponsorships," he added.

The comment came as Kenyans continue to face serious problems in the transport sector, with road carnage claiming over 200 lives in the past month.

At the same time, various sports clubs and organizations have suspended their activities following SportPesa's withdrawal from local sponsorships.