Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has announced an end to night raids targeting liquor outlets and entertainment establishments across the county as City Hall moves to address concerns raised by operators in the hospitality industry.
The announcement followed a meeting between Sakaja and representatives of the Nairobi Liquor and Entertainment Industry Stakeholders on Wednesday, November 11, 2026. The discussions focused on challenges affecting businesses, enforcement procedures and revenue collection.
According to the governor, the meeting reached several agreements aimed at improving relations between county enforcement officers and entertainment business owners.
Among the resolutions was an end to arrests targeting disc jockeys (DJs) and the confiscation of their sound equipment during enforcement operations. The county also agreed to address complaints of harassment against revellers, which industry representatives said had increasingly become a concern, particularly involving police officers.
The meeting further addressed complaints about noise pollution from entertainment venues. It was agreed that individuals reporting excessive noise, including residents living near clubs and bars, would be required to provide evidence to support their complaints.
However, the county maintained that entertainment establishments found to be violating regulations would still face appropriate action through established legal procedures.
Another major outcome was the decision to allow a 14-day consultation period concerning entertainment and event taxes introduced under the Nairobi County Finance Act 2026.
The consultation is expected to give industry players an opportunity to raise concerns and engage the county on the implementation of the taxes.
Sakaja's administration also urged liquor business operators to embrace the LiquorPay platform, a digital system introduced by Nairobi City County to simplify liquor licensing and renewal processes.
The platform is designed to automate licensing services and make transactions more efficient for business owners.
In another measure aimed at addressing harassment and improving enforcement, the county published a list of 364 authorised inspection officers deployed across all 17 sub-counties.
The officers were reportedly vetted and approved by the county to help distinguish legitimate enforcement personnel from rogue officers and impostors.
The deployment is also intended to decentralise revenue collection, improve business compliance and address revenue leakages.
Starehe and Kamukunji have each been allocated 28 officers, while Mathare has 28. Other allocations include Ruaraka with 19, Embakasi South, North, Central, East and West with 12 each, and Njiru with 12.
The changes are expected to provide clearer enforcement procedures while allowing Nairobi County to improve revenue collection without unnecessary disruption to legitimate entertainment businesses.
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