NACADA Raids Popular Thika Road Club As War Against Shisha Intensifies

NACADA officers caused a scene at the nightclub as a result of their raid which saw the manager of the club arrested.

admin admin
Jan 22, 2024 - 18:15
0
NACADA Raids Popular Thika Road Club As War Against Shisha Intensifies
The Embassy Bistro Club along Thika Road. /THE EMBASSY BISTRO

Officers from the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) heightened their fight against shisha consumption in Kenya and on Saturday, January 20, they turned their attention to the popular Embassy Bistro nightclub along Thika Road next to Garden City Roundabout in Nairobi.

On Saturday night, NACADA officers caused a scene at the nightclub as a result of their raid which saw the manager of the club arrested.

Six other revellers believed to be consuming the illegal product were also arrested, with 23 shisha bongs and 40 flavours confiscated from the club.

Image of a shisha bong. /CAPITAL GROUP

"On the night of Saturday 20th January, 2024 the Authority carried out its routine shisha crackdowns on shisha vending and smoking in various entertainment spots across Nairobi City County.

"At the Embassy club along Thika Road, the Club Manager and six (6) other revellers were arrested in contravention of the shisha-selling and smoking ban," stated NACADA on its social media pages.

The suspects were all booked at Jogoo Road police station vide OB No.07/21/01/24 awaiting arraignment in court.

Should the seven be found guilty, they would face fines starting at Ksh50,000 or a minimum jail term of six months.

On June 24, 2023, the club was on the spot after detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) based in Kasarani were prevented from rescuing two revellers detained at the premises over an unpaid bill of Ksh10,000.

Two workers at the club, namely Henry Omondi and James Angulu, faced kidnapping charges after they allegedly locked up the revellers in the club's storeroom over the unpaid bill.

Meanwhile, a shisha crackdown in Nairobi was last mounted on Friday, January 5 by NACADA, however, this headline exercise saw bouncers working at Kettle House Bar and Grill attacked and injured journalists drawn from several media houses.

Police officers who accompanied the journalists to arrest club managers and patrons for allegedly smoking shisha led the operation that saw 30 shisha bongs confiscated and 21 people including the club manager arrested.

Shisha smoking, also known as water pipe, hookah, or hubble-bubble, was outlawed in Kenya in 2017.

NACADA CEO, Anthony Omerikwa speaking on November 29, 2023. /NACADA KENYA

Tags: