1,000 underage boys, girls arrested as police raid Nairobi bars

By Cyrus Ombati

NAIROBI, KENYA: Police arrested more than 1,000 underage revelers on Sunday evening from bars in Nairobi.

Police launched the operation following complaints that most bars and clubs in down town Nairobi were full of school going children and that some of them were mugging pedestrians.

The number of the underage revelers shot up following the ongoing strike by teachers who are demanding pay of their allowances.

Central police boss Patrick Oduma said their cells were full to capacity and that they had to set free some of the children.

“It is shocking to arrest such a big number of children from bars and clubs. They were busy dancing and some taking alcohol, smoking bhang and cigarettes which is wrong,” he said.

Oduma said they had issued warnings to most of the bar operators against allowing underage revelers to their premises and cited alcohol laws that has punitive measures of those flouting them.

“We intend to charge the operators of joints where these children were arrested and even apply for the cancellation of their licenses,” he added.

The police boss said some of the children are usually involved in mugging spree whenever they leave the clubs late in the night and that they had arrested and charged a number of them.

The operation started with police lorries blocking the entrances of the targeted premises especially along Dubois Road. The police walked into the clubs along the road and ordered the DJs to switch off the music.

Some of the children managed to jump out of the clubs and escaped on foot.