Journalists from several media houses were injured after being assaulted during a raid by the National Authority for the Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (Nacada) at Kettle House Bar and Grill in Nairobi on Friday night.
Drama ensued after police officers, accompanied by journalists, arrived at the bar at around 11pm to arrest club managers and patrons for allegedly smoking shisha, which is banned.
The popular club is located on Muthangari Road in Lavington, Nairobi.
Upon 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 lost their valuables.
Among those injured in the scuffle was Nation Media photographer Boniface Bogita, who was stabbed twice in the ribs. Jane Kibira, a Kenya Broadcasting Corporation journalist was also stabbed in the back. Standard Media Group photographer Boniface Okendo and videographer Francis Odee were beaten and their cameras confiscated.
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. A knife suspected to have been used in the stabbings was also recovered. The suspects have been detained at Jogoo police station.
The operation against shisha was led by Nacada Chief Executive Officer Antony Omerikwa and Head of Enforcement Nicholas Kosgei.
Speaking during the enforcement exercise, Nacada’s Head of Enforcement Nicholas Kosgei said during the raid, police officers managed to arrest several suspects.
“We have managed to arrest the suspects and confiscated several shisha pots used in the club,” Mr Kosgei said during a press briefing after the raid.
Kenya imposed a ban on shisha in 2017, including advertising, promoting, distributing and encouraging or facilitating its use.
“Any person who contravenes any provision of these regulations may, where a penalty is not expressly provided for in any provision of the Act, be liable to the penalty provided for in section 163 of the Act,” the government said when announcing the ban on December 27, 2017.
