Liquor board orders half of bars in Naivasha shut

The Naivasha Liquor Licensing Board has closed almost half of all bars in Naivasha Sub-County.

The board said that over 50 per cent of bars in and around Naivasha town did not meet the regulatory requirements and had their licences annulled.

The most affected are pubs close to residential estates and those near the Nairobi-Nakuru railway line.

Naivasha Sub-County administrator Julius Nyaata said 564 bars had applied for new licenses following the formation of the county liquor board.

He said that after a review, 201 bars were approved while another 140 were ordered closed.

“We shall revisit 223 bars in the coming weeks as some had minor issues which can be addressed before they are licensed,” he said.

Mr Nyaata said majority of the bars were denied licences because of their location or security considerations.

“Some bars were operating next to residential estates while others are opposite schools and we cannot allow them to continue operating,” he said.

CRIME DENS

Speaking in Naivasha, Nyaata said the highest number of bars were closed in Mai Mahiu and that some of them were “dens of thugs”.

“Some of the bars in Mai Mahiu were entertaining prostitution among children and we had no option but to deny them licences,” he said.

On allegations that some members of the board were seeking bribes from bar owners, the administrator challenged those complaining to prove their accusations.

“If anyone has evidence against any board member, he should report the matter to the police so that the cases can be investigated,” he said.

A group of bar owners in Mai Mahiu claimed that some of the board members were demanding up to Sh20,000 to license their outlets.

One of the affected traders questioned the credibility of the board after it closed many bars on “flimsy grounds”.

“Majority of those bars that have been denied licences in Mai Mahiu are those whose owners refused to cough up the Sh20,000 that some board members were demanding,” claimed the trader.