The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has today, December 2, 2025, ordered the immediate closure of eight popular nightlife venues in Nairobi and Watamu, Kilifi County, due to persistent noise pollution.
NEMA had issued a public notice on noise pollution control, and the facilities to be closed have failed to comply with the requirements listed in the environmental restoration orders issued to them.
“The Authority has continued to receive noise complaints from the facilities even after being warned through earlier orders,” read part of the published order.
The closures come after months of warnings and excessive complaints from residents living around the clubs.
List of clubs and night bars ordered to close down
The following are the nightlife premises to be shut down for failure to comply
- Kettle House along Muthangari Drive
- Boba Drinks and Café, which is located in Kilimani
- Speedy’s Bar and Restaurant along Beach Road, Watamu in Kilifi County
- Bar Next Door is located along Othaya Road in Nairobi, Kilimani area
- Emirates Lounge in Nairobi’s ever-busy Pipeline Area in Embakasi
- Infusion Lounge in Ruaka along Limuru Road
- Status Lounge in Ruaka, along Limuru Road
- Kifaru Place, that located along Mombasa Road
On September 18, 2025, the authority issued restoration and improvement notices to 107 entertainment facilities across the country, offering them a 90-day window to comply with noise regulations, an opportunity that most venues ignored, with others only complying partially, resulting in the shutdown orders.
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Under the closure orders, NEMA outlined the requirements these facilities should meet before being allowed to re-operate.
NEMA Ordered Requirements
According to NEMA, the eight venues are prohibited from operating until they fully meet the set conditions, which dictate that;
- Undertake and submit an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
- Obtain a valid operating license from NEMA to secure discharge licences.
- Install certified soundproof materials in the facilities to mitigate noise pollution.
- Carry out independent noise-level surveys to demonstrate compliance both inside and outside the premises during peak hours.
The closure order move has reignited a long-standing debate between Nairobi’s vibrant nightlife economy and the right of residents to peace and quiet.
Areas known for great quiet environments like Kilimani, Kileleshwa, and Westlands have seen a great rise in residential buildings erected next to entertainment zones, turning the once quiet neighbourhoods into battlegrounds over noise levels.
Similar tension-causing cases have emerged along Watamu’s beachfront strip area, a place where tourists as well as locals have repeatedly sparked complaints of heavy bass music that reverberates till the day dawns.
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The move has been lauded and supported by Dr. Andrew Mulwa, the director of public health at the Ministry of Health, who has noted that prolonged exposure to noise above 70 decibels, very common in many clubs, is linked to increased risks of hypertension, heart disease, anxiety, and hearing loss.
“The World Health Organization estimates that in Western Europe alone, traffic and environmental noise cause the loss of over one million healthy life years annually. Urban Kenya is not immune to these effects,” Dr. Mulwa said.
The closure warrant also serves the remind business owners of existing guidelines that should be followed, as well as the dangers of non-compliance, including the loss of operating licences and workers losing jobs and sources of income and revenue to the country at large.
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