Dancehall artiste and businessman KRG The Don, born Stephen Kimani Karuga, appears to be a man who has lived many lives in his 35 years.
Bursting onto the scene with a relatively successful music career, he has been able to leverage his celebrity and fame status to invest in real estate, travel, construction, and entertainment. His club, Casavera Lounge in Nairobi, was so popular a few years ago and has even been included in song lyrics.
He spoke to Nation Lifestyle on a topic that many nightclub investors struggle with: the infiltration of gangs that drug and rob revellers.
He says when the drink-spiking incidents by the commonly referred to “mchele babes” were sending shivers across club-goers, he took a firm, surveillance-driven approach to protect patrons at his then-thriving entertainment joint, Casavera Lounge.
He says the then Ngong Road-based club became one of the few spaces where suspicious activity could be quickly detected, tracked and shut down. KRG operated Casavera Lounge for nearly four years.
You have to be physically present as much as possible. The club business requires constant attention because issues arise in real-time and necessitate immediate action.
You can’t postpone problems; something as small as a leak in the building can turn into significant losses if ignored. Being hands-on is key to maximising profits.
How much did you invest in the club, and were you able to recover your money?
In the first two years, we managed to recover about 80 percent of our investment. Over the following year and a half, we continued to recoup more, although we did experience some losses along the way. There was also a period when we left the club under other managers while we were busy (with other occupations), and that contributed to some of the losses. Overall, it was a mix of profits and losses, which is normal in business.
Casavera was famous then, but there were concerns about noise from the club. How did you handle that?
In February, 2024, we announced a temporary closure to curb the noise. But we had already addressed the noise issue by installing soundproofing. However, even before we reopened, we felt it was the right time to close down, restructure, and eventually relaunch the club in a better way.
KRG The Don is a Kenyan dancehall artiste.
Photo credit: Pool
Many city clubs face a very quick death due to drink-spiking. Did you ever deal with ‘mchele’ (drink-spiking) incidents, and how did you handle them?
Yes, there were one or two incidents. Fortunately, we had CCTV coverage across the club.
The gang operated in groups of four to six women. In one case, a friend of mine reported that two women he had interacted with may have spiked his drink. He said he reached home and felt unwell.
We reviewed the footage and observed what had transpired, which helped us identify a wider group they were working with. These situations are rarely isolated; they often involve organised groups.
Our security team monitored both CCTV and activity on the ground. Because the club was spacious and well-lit, it was easier to distinguish genuine clients from suspicious individuals. However, since it is a public 18+ venue, you can’t control everything unless it poses a threat to someone’s safety.
Another challenge that investors face is counterfeit drinks. Did you ever encounter fake liquor in your establishment?
We were very strict about sourcing alcohol only from verified and trusted suppliers, so we never had issues with counterfeit products.
A lot of things worked in our favour. The location was excellent, the hype was strong, and we invested in a top-notch sound system.
That was why most people came to our club. Our service was also fast and, overall, the experience was well put together. From an entertainment perspective, it was one of the best spots at the time.
I ran Casavera Lounge for about three and a half years. In the beginning, the business was doing well. However, the club scene is not easy to manage because it requires your constant presence.
Many of the clients came because they knew I would be there, and they expected entertainment from me personally.
Running a club is a full-time responsibility. If you are not present, things can easily fall apart.
It is a public space where anyone can walk in and out, so it demands close attention, almost like taking care of a baby.
You have to constantly plan: the entertainment lineup, guest appearances, and keeping up with trends in the nightlife scene.
Over time, that level of commitment became draining, and I realised I wasn’t in the right space to sustain it long-term.
Eventually, together with my partners, we decided to shut it down in 2024.
It was simply too demanding, and we also felt we could generate better returns elsewhere.
Also, the economic situation affected our clientele, and spending dropped significantly compared to the early days when we opened it.
I would not want to run one fully hands-on again, because it’s very demanding.
However, the club will be coming back, and this time it will be managed by a team on our behalf. I might check in once or twice a week, but not on a full-time basis. It requires a lot of energy and can take your focus away from other ventures.
On when the club will reopen, I can’t give a specific timeline yet because we are still working on a few things. Once everything is ready and we have set a date, we will make it public.
Honestly, I would not say I miss one specific thing. My days are quite full with other activities, so I don’t dwell on it much. But it was definitely a great experience.
We built it from scratch, so the investment was substantial, well into the hundreds of millions. There is no exact figure because we were constantly upgrading the place with sound systems, screens, and interiors. Club business is a very demanding business that requires continuous improvement, much like running a matatu in terms of constant upgrades and maintenance.
