40 people were arrested in a crackdown on entertainment joints operating beyond the stipulated hours in Maralal town, Samburu County, on Saturday night.
Alex Rotich, the Sub-county police commander in charge of Samburu Central, told members of the press on Sunday that the individuals were arrested at around 11:30pm.
The police boss said the bars were supposed to have been closed by 11pm in line with a directive issued by Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe.
“Yesterday we carried out a raid in Maralal town at 11.30pm and some bars had not closed. People were still drinking alcohol and celebrating the President’s decision to end the curfew,” he said.
The suspects were also accused of failing to observe other Covid-19 protocols including social distancing.
Read: Bars, Restaurants to Close at 11 pm – CS Kagwe
All the suspects were, however, freed on police bond pending their arraignment in court tomorrow (Monday).
Rotich said the suspects will be charged with failure to observe social distancing.
The bar owners face a different charge of operating beyond the stipulated hours.
Kagwe issued the bar closure time clarification on Thursday, a day after President Uhuru Kenyatta lifted the nationwide dusk-to-dawn curfew that had been in place since March last year.
Also Read: Bars, Restaurants to Close at 11 pm – CS Kagwe
He said the bars are required to close by 11pm or the time stipulated in their licenses.
The CS did, however, note that the hand washing and social distancing protocols would still be in play.
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