1824 Club Demolished Months After Closure [VIDEO]

Popular Lang'ata Road-based entertainment joint, 1824, has been demolished, months after it was closed down, sparking a frenzy on Kenya's social media.

A series of videos seen by Viral Tea showed the entertainment joint famous among Nairobi partygoers reduced to rubble by bulldozers, marking the end of an era of partying amongst the suburbs.

Within the premises, there was a frenzy as a crowd of people could be seen salvaging what remained of the premises, including an assortment of drinks.

Here is the video:

On December 20, 2023, photos emerged of the joint reportedly closed down, showing furniture strewn outside the entrance with heavy police presence as the workers removed chairs and tables from the premises.

Speaking to Viral Tea, a source privy to matters regarding the entertainment joint at the time confirmed that the establishment was closed owing to a dispute between the landlord and the owner.

The disagreement emerged after another tenant expressed interest in taking over the premises and had offered an amount which was more than what the owner had been paying for.

Another source indicated that the club would be opened in another location, though did not reveal when this would happen.

The management of the club was yet to, and by the time of publishing this article, still yet to issue a notice to its revellers or a statement over their closure and subsequent demolitions and their next course of action.

Several Kenyans had linked the closure to developments surrounding one of its directors, Wilson Nahashon Kanani, whose assets worth Ksh643 million were frozen by the High Court.

The club, which had been on the radar of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) before today, was the subject of investigations regarding the accumulation of wealth belonging to Kanani, who was working as a Development Control Officer of the Nairobi County government and earning a salary of Ksh55,866 per month.

EACC was seeking orders from the court for the forfeiture of Kanani's assets which included land, apartments, cars, and cash, to the State, alluding that the assets were disproportionate to his monthly salary. The case is still active in court.

EACC claimed that Kanani, an employee of the Nairobi City County Government, used his position to influence the award of tenders and contracts to companies linked to him or his relatives.

According to court documents, Kanani despite earning a Ksh55,000 monthly salary had received and channelled Ksh506 million through bank accounts in his name and family members between January 2016 and October 2022.

He was also accused of acquiring several properties worth over Ksh100 million using the proceeds of crime.

In a chain of controversial episodes, Club 1824 in 2020, through its parent company Seventeen Forty-Nine Ltd, sought court orders to allow it to resume operations amid the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns, explaining that it had lost more than Ksh45 million in the eight months of night curfew and pub closures.