Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has insisted that night operations in bars and clubs will continue but without harassment.
Sakaja said that while the county government will strictly enforce the law on sale of liquor and operations of bars and nightclubs, this should be done in a manner to achieve the intended goal without harassment.
“What good does it do to raid clubs, arrest the DJ, confiscate his equipment and send clients scampering? This is not the goal. The goal is to ensure that the proprietors follow the law,” the Governor said.
He was speaking when he chaired a session of the County Executive Committee yesterday.
In November 2022, City Hall cancelled licenses for nightclubs that were operating in residential areas and said it would not be issuing permits to such premises anymore.
Sakaja said going forward, nightclub licences will only be issued to premises operating within the Central Business District and specified streets within select residential areas.
Liquor traders, pubs and nightclub operators and their employees in Nairobi sought divine intervention over the recent move by the county to ban nightclubs in residential areas.
Under the Hospitality Employees Association (HEA), the group claims the directive has put the livelihoods of more than 36,000 employees in jeopardy as they are about to lose their jobs.
The group had appealed to Governor Johnson Sakaja and President William Ruto to intervene.
Going forward, Governor Sakaja noted that despite offenders getting arrested during enforcement exercises, it should be done in an orderly manner.
“Enforcement officers should access an offending premise, measure the decibels and collect all the evidence they need, issue an enforcement notice and leave, then return the next day during the day to take the action they need to,” he added.
In the same meeting, the cabinet approved zoning of areas where nightclub licenses can be issued in Nairobi.
They include the city centre, Westlands Centre, Industrial Area, parts of Ngara and Pangani, several areas in Eastlands, the corridors along Mombasa Road and Thika Highway, and shopping malls among others.
Speaking to the Star, Deputy Governor Njoroge Muchiri noted that nightclub licenses will not be issued in residential neighbourhoods.
"The whole thing is a delicate balancing act because there are also areas where residential neighbourhoods have allowed clubs. But we shall ensure that no one is pressed," he said.
Muchiri said that public participation was carried out in order to get views from stakeholders including residents.
Some of the areas include the Central Business District (CBD), Upperhill, and Westlands, Ngara Shopping Centre, Pangani, Industrial Area and the Karen Triangle.
In March, the Nairobi City County Alcoholic Drinks Control and Licensing Board identified areas within the city zoned as Commercial areas by the Physical & Land Use Planning Act of 2019 for the purpose of Licensing and operation of Nightclubs.
