A total of 120 liquor stores around matatu termini in Nairobi have been closed following a crackdown ordered by Governor Johnson Sakaja.
The operation, which commenced over the weekend, resulted in the arrest of 25 bar owners in the Starehe sub-county.
The Office of the Governor released a statement detailing the operation, organized into six teams targeting various termini:
- Country Bus Station: 10 outlets were closed, and four suspects were arrested for selling illicit brew, booked at Kamukunji police station.
- Muthurwa Terminus: 20 outlets were closed, and no suspects were arrested.
- Hakati Bus Station Terminus: 23 liquor outlets were closed, with nine arrests made.
- Accra Road Terminus: 27 outlets were shut down, and eight individuals were arrested.
- Latema Road Terminus: 18 premises were closed, and no arrests were reported.
- Old Nation Roundabout Terminus: 22 outlets were closed, leading to the arrest of six suspects.
Maureen Njeri, the County executive for Business and Hustler Opportunities, noted that preliminary data collection revealed that many wines and spirits operating in bus terminuses were unlicensed, violating the Nairobi City County alcoholic drinks control and Licensing Act of 2014.
The Nairobi Liquor Department is compiling data for other outlets in bus termini across remaining sub-counties for similar enforcement in the coming days.
Governor Sakaja had directed the removal of all outlets selling wines and spirits at bus termini last week after receiving a report from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) on fatalities on Nairobi roads. Expressing concerns about alcohol-related accidents, Sakaja emphasized the need to address drinking issues among drivers and conductors in bus termini.
