- Police who had accompanied them could not do much as the situation turned chaotic.
- They however managed to arrest some of the attackers and revelers.
Image: THE STAR
Journalists from several media houses were Friday night injured in an assault during a raid by the National Authority for the Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (Nacada) in Nairobi.
The drama happened at a bar in Kilimani, Nairobi. The injured journalists were taken to hospitals for medical attention.
Some had their equipment damaged.
Three police officers and a driver with Nacada were also injured in the chaos. Police said 21 suspects were arrested at the joint.
Police who had accompanied them could not do much as the situation turned chaotic.
They however managed to arrest some of the attackers and revelers.
How it happened
Drama broke out when police officers, accompanied by journalists and NACADA officials, arrived at the bar linked to a politician at around 11 pm to arrest club managers and patrons for allegedly smoking shisha, which is banned.
And on seeing the journalists, the club's bouncers, dressed in black suits and red ties, charged at them, beating them and forcibly confiscating their recording equipment.
The journalists were injured and also lost their valuables and cash.
Among those injured in the scuffle was Nation Media photographer Boniface Bogita, who was stabbed twice in the ribs. He is in stable condition.
Jane Kibira, a Kenya Broadcasting Corporation journalist was also stabbed in the back while Standard Media Group photographer Boniface Okendo and videographer Francis Odee were beaten and their cameras confiscated and broken.
More reinforcements were called and police officers later took control of the situation and arrested the bouncers, who had fled, changed clothes and hid in the toilets of the bar to avoid arrest.
This is after they sealed off the place and ordered everyone to get out.
A knife suspected to have been used in the stabbings was also recovered.
Neighbors have been complaining about the club saying it plays loud music with no action being taken despite complaints being lodged.
The operation against shisha was led by Nacada Chief Executive Officer Antony Omerikwa and Head of Enforcement Nicholas Kosgei.
Kosgei said during the raid, police officers managed to arrest several suspects and recovered several shisha pots used in the club.
On December 2023, Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said that Nacada should continue with the raid, noting that shisha is illegal.
"Shisha addicts must face the law, as it has been illegal in Kenya since 2017," Duale said on his X social media platform.
The Defence CS highlighted that the law enforcement agents must continue to raid shisha dens.