By The Weekly Vision
Residents living along Kangundo Road are up in arms against Nairobi City County over the mushrooming of bars and restaurants, some of which have become a public nuisance. One such restaurant is the Druids Lounge which is known to play loud music, sometimes even hosting live bands, residents want it closed.
Attempts by residents to have the County Liquor officials act on their grievances always seem to hit a dead end as the club is said to enjoy the protection of a top county official. The director of the Club Jeremy Otieno is on record saying that he is a close friend to Governor Sakaja and that no amount of threats from residents will see the club closed.
Sources say that Mr Otieno only invokes Governor Sakaja’s name and the Liquor Licensing Board officials to scare away residents who have been pushing for the closure of the bar. Some County staff members are known to frequent the club, while others are alleged to be on Mr Otieno’s payroll, collecting protection fees each week.
It is not however not clear for now if Governor Sakaja has any links to the club, though Mr Otieno keeps on telling residents who complain of the loud music to stop wasting their time as the governor holds some business interest in the club. Mr Otieno has gone further even telling the protesting residents that his close ties with the governor are the reason why Druids was not among the 40 clubs in the city which were closed down a few months ago for noise pollution.
Nairobi City County had issued warnings to about 40 clubs operating in residential areas in Nairobi over their failure to reduce noise levels. Residents affected by Druids club are now appealing to Nairobi City Liquor Board to carry out a noise assessment at the club and close it down immediately.
