A Mombasa court has temporarily ordered the county government of Mombasa to stop conducting any raid on bars.
On Thursday, Justice Eric Ogola issued the order after a number of bar owners operating along Koinange Road went to court to stop the operations by the county government. The bar owners said the raid by the county government is illegal and should be stopped immediately. They also lamented that the raiding team was harassing their customers
Earlier this month, at least 10 people were arrested and five bars closed in Mombasa in a joint crackdown by various agencies
Some were arrested for not having licenses to operate the businesses, while some of the premises did not comply with health and Kenya Revenue Authority requirements. Others were closed down for being so close to learning institutions, specifically schools, which affected proper learning
The joint operation was carried out by National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (Nacada), Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs), Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), Anti-Counterfeit Agency, police and public health officials. Each agency involved in the crackdown had a specific role to play.
Kebs was tasked with looking at sampling, labelling and stamps of certification, the public health officers looked at sanitation while KRA checked for VAT compliance.