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Sakaja renews bid to rid Nariobi estates of noisy nightclubs

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja at the ACK St Paul’s Parish in South C, Langata Constituency, on March 10, 2024.

By Barack Oduor | 10 Mar 2024

Last year, Governor Sakaja kicked off a process to regulate nightclubs, calling on city residents to share their views on the matter.

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has reiterated his commitment to reducing noise pollution in Nairobi's estates, saying his administration will not allow nightclubs to operate there.

"There is no way our children will do their school homework while night clubs play loud music in the neighbourhoods," he said on Sunday at the ACK St Paul's South C Parish in Lang'ata Sub-county.

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Sakaja did not give details in his address on Sunday but he kicked off a process last year to regulate nightclubs, calling on city residents to share their views on the matter.

"The Nairobi City County is in the process of establishing a framework on licensing and operation of night clubs within the city and the proposed construction of rehabilitation centres for alcohol and drug abuse victims. This is in line with the governor's manifesto of making Nairobi a city of order, hope, dignity and opportunity," he said in a notice published in the local dailies.

The government, at the time, intended to use public participation forums to disseminate information on proposed nightclub operation zones. He said licences would only be issued to nightclubs operating within the central business district and specified streets within select residential areas.

The forums targeted families and individuals affected by drug abuse, liquor manufacturers, rehabilitation centres, neighbourhood associations, landlord associations and faith-based organisations.

On Sunday, the governor further highlighted the removal of liquor stores and small bores around bus termini, saying the move was informed by a report of the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) that said drunk driving was a top cause of road accidents around the city.

Officials in several parts of the county, working with the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) and other agencies, have been cracking down on the abuse of drugs and other substances to protect the youth and maintain law and order.

Earlier on Sunday, Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale asked local administrators to ensure all drug peddlers are arrested and prosecuted, announcing that the government was committed to ending the drug and substance abuse menace plaguing many counties.

Duale affirmed Interior minister Kithure Kindiki's declaration of a war on drugs, warning that all those involved in the menace would be dealt with according to law.