Nairobi — The Nairobi City County Government has halted plans to revoke licenses for 43 city clubs which were facing closure over noise pollution.
The bars which include Loft, Orchid Lounge, Oyster Bay, Dejavu, Ibury, Samaki Samaki, Numero 5, Castle Inn Gardens, Clique Lounge and Pioneer Resort were subject of numerous petitions by residents in various parts of the city including Kileleshwa.
City Hall's move followed a meeting between the bar owners and Nairobi Deputy Governor Njoroge Muchiri, who directed the club owners to adhere to the laid down rules and regulations, failure to which action will be taken against them.
Muchiri urged liquor outlets to self-regulate and invest on sound proofing so as to minimize noise pollution and ensure peaceful co-existence in residential places.
"Our manifesto is to enable businesses to thrive, and we have a duty and an obligation to ensure we create a conducive environment for businesses to operate, but you must not infringe on residents rights," Muchiri said.
Muchiri told the bar owners that the county government is committed to protecting businesses, hence the need to embrace dialogue to find a lasting solution.
He underscored the need for collaboration and continuous dialogue between business community and residents association in ensuring the zoning laws are adhered to within Residential areas to avoid conflict.
"The Sakaja government is pro-business and we want to grow business, we are focusing on changing how our enforcement is done, and change to be customer based and offering support to businesses and not harassing them," Muchiri said.
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The Bar Owners Association led by its Chairperson Mike Muthamia called for the review of the county liquor licensing and alcoholic laws saying the current regulations are outdated and need to be amended to reflect the city's modern lifestyle and business environment.
Muthamia said bar owners are ready to self regulate under the guidance of the county government to ensure peaceful co-existence between residences and business owners.
"We are ready to self regulate, we also need to have a representative of the residents' association included in the sub county liquor licensing Committee," he said.
Muchiri added that City Hall's plan of decentralizing the city into five boroughs is still on course, so as to address a myriad of challenges bedeviling the hospitality sector.
In their manifesto, the new city administration promised to cluster Nairobi into North, East, West, South and Central administration blocks to ensure ease of access to public services and management.
