The Nairobi County Assembly Committee for Finance pointed fingers at the Nairobi county Alcoholic Drinks Control and Licensing Board for authorising bars and pubs to run in residential areas.
On Tuesday, November 29, the committee visited the head offices to enquire about the issuance of licenses.
“We needed to know how the operations work. The only way to put an end to this menace is to ensure that licenses are given to the right areas,” noted the committee.
In its defence, the board promised the committee a report that would be used to give way forward.
“Liquor licenses are issued by sub-county licensing committees. They are the people that do the inspection and approval of applications,”
“Moving forward following the outcry, we are reviewing the licensing procedure to ensure we do not authorise nightclubs where they are not supposed to be,” the board stated.
The accusation came days after Nairobi governor, Johnson Sakaja, announced banning all night clubs operating in residential areas.
Sakaja’s orders were met with mixed reactions from the public and bar owners.
“Bars and restaurants in residential areas must operate within the specified time and control noise emanating from their premises,” Sakaja directed.
Notably, the Pubs, Entertainment, and Restaurant Association of Kenya (PERAK) argued that the ban will see over 23,000 people lose their jobs.
“Nightclubs will have to scale down operations and lay off about 50 per cent of their permanent and 100 per cent of their temporary staff due to the ban of nightclub licenses,” the association stated.
On the other hand, Bar Hotels Liquor Trader Association (BAHLITA) chairperson, Simon Njoroge, requested to meet with Sakaja to discuss other solutions for nightclubs.
Source: kENYANS.CO.KE