Kisumu's High Court has suspended Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kithure Kindiki's order to close bars in the country's fight against illicit brew.
In its ruling, the court suspended Kindiki's directive pending a hearing to resolve the issue at hand.
“… ...THAT pending hearing and determination of the application dated 8th day of March 2024, stay of the 1st Respondent's directive issued by the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Interior & Coordination of National Government on the 6th March 2024 for the closure of all bars in Kenya and Kisumu County be and is hereby granted,” said in court’s ruling.
Kisumu Bar Owners Association filed a lawsuit challenging CS Kindiki's directive.
On March 6, the Interior CS ordered the closure of bars near residential areas and schools.
He also ordered that civil servant-owned bars be closed, claiming that this would eliminate the conflict of interest.
On Monday, 114 bars owned by county and national officials were closed in Kirinyaga County.
According to Kirinyaga County Commissioner Hussein Allasow Hussein, the move is intended to prevent the bars from being reopened.
“Some of them are trying to quickly transfer them to third parties but they won’t succeed. We have already identified them and closed them,” he said.
The County Commissioner added that the 114 are among over 400 bars that have been closed in the government’s crackdown on illicit alcohol trade.
The government directed that public officers who own or operate bars should either close them down or resign.
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