31 children arrested in swoop on night clubs in Eldoret

Thirty-one teenagers under the age of 18 were arrested during a swoop on night clubs in Eldoret town.

The minors were among 51 youths rounded up by a team of police officers and members of Uasin Gishu Alcoholic Drinks and Drug Control Board.

According to the board’s director Amstrong Ronoh, the minors were in the group that had earlier been dispersed after police cancelled an event dubbed “Colour Festival”, which was alleged to have been linked to the recently banned “Project X” in Nairobi.

Mr Ronoh said the teenagers engaged police in a cat-and-mouse chase, hopping from one club to another in a bid to evade arrest.

“We got a tip-off and we acted fast. We were surprised by the extent to which our kids have gone. Most of them were skimpily dressed. They were the same ones who had during the day assembled at Gulab Lochab grounds but were dispersed. They later thronged clubs at night,” he said.

Ronoh further said the 31 minors, aged between 12 and 17, were released on a bail of Sh1,000 each. He said they are trying to ascertain the ages of the rest.

2,000 youth

The Colour Festival, which had attracted more than 2,000 revellers, was to be held at Gulab Lochab social hall in the town. Some of the youth had travelled from as far as Kisumu.

The event, which was to start at 2pm and run throughout the night, was banned despite spirited efforts by the organisers to convince the security personnel that it was not in any way associated with Project X.

Colour Festival’s Public Relations Officer Juliana Wangare said police had been notified about the event and wondered why they had changed their minds.

Rono disclosed two popular entertainment joints; Inferno and Spree were closed for violating the law and that their directors would be arraigned in court for contravening regulations.

“We found that Inferno was operating beyond the stipulated time. As per their licence, they were still on at 1am contrary to the 11 o’clock deadline. Spree on the other hand was operating without a licence,” he said.