Popular musician Ken Wa Maria to be arraigned in court
Popular musician Ken wa Maria is today expected to be arraigned in court after he was nabbed on Saturday, January 14, 2023, nabbed while performing inside a club in Umoja.
The musician was among 50 other people who were nabbed in a police operation, which targeted Donholm, Pipeline, Fedha and North Airport estates in the Eastlands part of the city.
Mr Ken was busy entertaining guests and revelers at a local club when the officers stormed the joint and nabbed everyone, including workers.
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Nairobi News has established that a group of officers drawn from the city council and those from the National Police Service (NPS) conducted the raid and took all the arrested revelers to Central Police Station.
On Sunday, January 15, 2023, some of the revelers were released after they parted with cash ranging between Sh5,000 and Sh7,000.
“I have just been released after handing out Sh5,000 cash bail. I was nabbed while enjoying drinks at a club in Buruburu, Nairobi County,” said one of the revelers released on Sunday afternoon.
On Sunday, the Nairobi Central Police Station was a bee-hive of activities as friends and relatives of those arrested tried to secure their freedom.
It has emerged that the officer’s main targets were pubs operating with no licenses and those that operated beyond the time indicated in their licenses.
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Nairobi County Government has maintained that they will not allow bars and clubs to operate within residential areas in the city.
Ms Rhoda Otieno, Director of Liquor Licensing, said that the operation took place over the weekend, and they planned to make random raids on entertainment joints.
“We have arrested quite a number of people who will be arraigned in court on Monday to face various charges according to the offenses they have been arrested for. I urge bar owners to operate within the law,” she stated.
In November 2022, Nairobi County governor Johnson Sakaja warned clubs against playing loud music past 10 pm.
In his sentiments, the City-County boss serving his first term said he was out to ensure that all Nairobi residents enjoy peaceful nights.
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