NACADA Acts After NTV, KBC, Standard Journalists Attacked During Raid At Nairobi Nightclub

The chaos ensued after the journalists arrived at Kettle House Bar and Grill in Nairobi in the company of police officers at around 11.00 pm, who were deployed to arrest club managers and patrons

Marvin Chege Marvin Chege
Jan 6, 2024 - 13:36 Updated: Jan 6, 2024 - 15:48
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NACADA Acts After NTV, KBC, Standard Journalists Attacked During Raid At Nairobi Nightclub
A photo of revellers at a night club. /TRAVEL START

A raid that was mounted on Friday, January 5 by the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) targeting a popular Nairobi nightclub located in Kilimani turned hostile as journalists drawn from several media houses were injured after being assaulted.

Speaking to Viral Tea, a contact at NACADA confirmed the assault, which saw journalists drawn from the Nation Media Group (NMG), Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) and Standard Group Limited attacked by the club's bouncers, dressed in black suits and red ties.

The chaos ensued after the journalists arrived at Kettle House Bar and Grill in Nairobi in the company of police officers at around 11.00 pm, who were deployed to arrest club managers and patrons for allegedly smoking shisha in an operation that saw 30 shisha bongs confiscated and 21 people including the club manager arrested.

The bouncers at the club, numbering about eight in total, spotted the scribes and charged at them, beating them and forcibly confiscating their recording equipment. In the process, the journalists were injured and lost their valuables.

Standard Group photographer Boniface Okendo sustained injuries to the arms and legs. /STANDARD DIGITAL

Among those injured in the scuffle was NMG photographer Boniface Bogita, who was stabbed twice in the ribs.

Jane Kibira, a KBC journalist was also stabbed in the back while Standard 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.

In a statement sent to Viral Tea, NACADA condemned the assault on members of the Fourth Estate and announced that criminal charges would be brought against the perpetrators.

"NACADA strongly condemns the violence and destruction of property. Journalists and police officers while on duty are legally mandated to execute their assignment without threats, intimidation, violence, or any form of coercion.

"The Authority takes great exception to the violent nature of the response to the crackdown on illegal shisha activities in the country and reminds the public that attacks on members of the press, security officers, and other authorized personnel carrying out their duties are punishable by law. Because of this, criminal charges against the offenders have commenced and they will be arraigned in court to answer to various charges related to the assault," read the statement in part.

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

The comprehensive ban covered the use, import, manufacture, sale, promotion, and distribution of the product. Offenders face fines starting at Ksh50,000 or a minimum jail term of six months.

"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 at the time.

Shisha bongs in Kenya. /FILE

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