11 Bouncers Arraigned Over Assault on Journalists, Police in Shisha Raid 

Eleven bouncers working with the Kettle House Bar and Grill in Nairobi were Wednesday charged with assault. 

The court also issued a warrant of arrest against 10 other employees of the bar over the incident.

The ten were not present during the arraignment, where 11 others pleaded not guilty to the assault charges.

Appearing before Milimani Law Courts Principal Magistrate Gilbert Shikwe the 11 present included 10 bouncers- eight men and two ladies, and a manager.

They pleaded not guilty to the seven charges before them including three counts of assault causing actual bodily harm, three counts of assault in execution of duty and selling shisha.

On the part of the manager, the counsel asked that his bond terms be more lenient as he is facing only one charge of selling shisha contrary to Rule 4 of the Public Health Rules and the Public Health Act.

The prosecution did not oppose the prayer.

The court released the bouncers on a cash bail of Sh30,000 with an alternative of Sh100,000 bond with similar surety.

Read: Bouncers at Kettle House Attack, Injure Journalists, Police During Shisha Raid

The manager was released on a cash bail of Sh10,000.

They will appear in court on January 24, for a mention.

The case stems from an incident where journalists from several media houses and police were on January 5, attacked when they raided the bar alongside NACADA personnel.

Shisha possession and consumption is banned in Kenya.

Drama broke out when police officers, accompanied by journalists and NACADA officials, arrived at the bar linked to a politician at around 11 pm to arrest club managers and patrons for allegedly smoking shisha, which is banned.

Kenya imposed a ban on shisha in 2017, including advertising, promoting, distributing and encouraging or facilitating its use. Shisha smoking, also known as water pipe, hookah, or hubble-bubble, was outlawed in Kenya in 2017.

The comprehensive ban covered use, import, manufacture, sale, promotion, and distribution of the product. Offenders face fines starting at Sh50,000 or a minimum jail term of six months.

Kenya joined neighboring East Africa and countries Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda in prohibiting the use of shisha.

The agency said they will continue with the exercise in other joints.

In 2017, Kenya implemented a comprehensive ban on shisha, including advertising, promotion, distribution and encouraging or facilitating its use.

“Any person who contravenes any provision of these regulations may, where a penalty is not expressly provided for in any provision of the Act, be liable to the penalty provided for in section 163 of the Act,” the government said when announcing the ban on December 27, 2017.