Nairobi nightlife roars back to life after curfew hours shortened

For the last six months, Nairobi West, a commercial and residential suburb with a vibrant nightlife, has been eerily silent, thanks to a curfew imposed by the government in the fight against Covid-19.

The suburb, known for its fast-paced nightlife, fell silent in March after the government ordered a dusk-to-dawn curfew from 7 pm to 5 am and all bars and nightclubs shut. A revision of the curfew hours did not help matters as bars and other entertainment spots remained shut.

But the nightlife in the suburb and others across the capital is being revived after the government reopened entertainment spots and bars on September 28 and shortened the curfew hours by two hours, from 11 pm to 4 am.

While the hours of operations are still little, this has not stopped the entertainment spots to roar back to life after a six-month hiatus, reviving the once dead nightlife.

Bars are leading the way, with dozens spread across the east African nation opening their doors for revelers.

"The booming music from the clubs is back, a sign that things are normalizing slowly. At least I can leave office, go out and unwind before heading home," said John Namalo, a resident of Nairobi West, which hosts tens of bars and restaurants.

DJs invited

In Tassia, Umoja and Donholm, populous suburbs on the east of Nairobi, the entertainment spots are making the most of the restricted time.

A majority of them have started inviting DJs to play the music for revelers and hosting karaoke sessions, some of the highlights of Nairobi's nightlife. And so are others across the capital giving a lifeline to not only entertainment sector workers but also the revellers.

For the DJs, they had moved their events on the Internet, hosting music parties online. But the challenge came in monetising the events which unlike clubs where people pay first before entering.

Thus, most of them depended on well-wishers to send them money virtually if they get touched by their music.

Casper Kimeu, a manager at a night club in Kitengela, noted that things are much better than they were months ago.

"We have recalled some of our workers but due to limited hours of operations, we have not resumed fully," he said, adding they are offering alcoholic drinks at discounted prices to get more customers.

While deciding to reopen entertainment spots , President Uhuru Kenyatta asked Kenyans not to drop their guards against Covid-19 even as they take alcohol.

He said that the country's positivity rate had fallen from 13 per cent in June to seven in August and 4.4 in September, leading to the reopening of bars.

However, there have been fears that with the reopening of bars and restaurants, infections might rise as revelers at such places throw caution to the wind.