Two individuals were arrested at a popular city club as the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) heightened its crackdown on illegal shisha dens.
The arrests took place on the night of Wednesday, February 26, when NACADA enforcement officers raided Paris Lounge in Lang’ata, Nairobi County, and confiscated a large stock of shisha-related products.
The operation was led by NACADA’s Director of Compliance and Enforcement, James Koskei, who emphasized that the crackdown is part of routine efforts to ensure compliance with the law prohibiting shisha trade in Kenya.
“NACADA is the body mandated to control alcohol and drug abuse in the country. We are here this evening on our normal routine compliance checks on this facility. We are coming here specifically to enforce the shisha rules,” said Koskei.
He noted that the operation follows a recent Court of Appeal ruling that upheld Gazette Notice No. 292 of 2017, which prohibits the sale, promotion, and use of shisha in the country. The court dismissed a petition challenging the ban, reaffirming NACADA’s authority to take enforcement action.
“We all know that the shisha rules under Gazette Notice No. 292 of 2017 are in force. Our Court of Appeal in December managed to throw away the petition that had been filed against that particular Gazette Notice,” he explained.
During the raid, officers seized 39 shisha bongs, 11 cartons of charcoal, 12 cartons of assorted flavours, and 13 charcoal carriers. Among those arrested were a shisha seller and a club supervisor, both of whom will face charges related to violating the shisha ban.
NACADA has vowed to sustain similar operations across Nairobi and other parts of the country to curb the illegal trade and ensure compliance with the law.
