11 security guards and employees of the Kettle House Bar and Grill have been charged with assaulting five journalists and two police officers during a raid by NACADA officials.

NACADA raided Kettle House Bar and Grill, linked to a prominent politician, over the weekend and arrested the 11 who were charged before Milimani Law Courts.

Appearing before Senior Principal Magistrate Gilbert Shikwe on Wednesday, January 10, 2024, the guards denied eight charges of assaulting Boniface Bogita Elvis, a Nation Media Group journalist; Ane Mugoiri Kibira, a KBC journalist; Boniface OkendO Otieno, a Standard Media Group journalist; and two police officers, namely Joseph Ruto, Mutisya Boniface Muia, and Joel Kirimi Nyaga, all attached to the NACADA enforcement team.

The 11 suspects arraigned in court included 10 bouncers, eight men and two ladies, and a manager of the bar.

They pleaded not guilty to the seven charges levelled against them by the office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), including three counts of assault, causing actual bodily harm, three counts of assault in the execution of duty, and selling shisha.

They are alleged to have committed the offences on January 5, 2024, with others who are still at large.

After pleading to the charges, the 11 accused persons sought to be released on lenient bail terms, saying they would cooperate with all conditions set by the court.

The court heard they are the breadwinners of their families, and being security officers, the bouncers earn a modest income.

On the part of the manager, he asked that his bond terms be more lenient as he is facing only one charge of selling shisha, contrary to Rule 4 of the Public Health Rules and the Public Health Act.

The state prosecutor did not oppose their release on bail but sought a warrant of arrest against 10 other co-accused persons who failed to appear in court for plea-taking.

In his ruling, Magistrate Shikwe released the bouncers on a cash bail of Ksh30,000 with an alternative of Ksh100,000 bond with a similar surety.

The manager was released on a cash bail of Sh10,000.

Shikwe also issued an arrest order for the 10 other suspects, including Linda Chepkorir, Edward Mwangi, and Polycarp Oyengo, who did not appear in court for plea-taking.

The case will be mentioned on January 24 for the pre-trial conference.

The prosecution of the employees of Kettle House Bar and Gill comes after they were arrested for assaulting journalists and police officers during a raid by the National Authority for the Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) on the night of January 5.

During the incident, the injured journalists were taken to hospitals for medical attention. Some had their equipment damaged.

Three police officers and a driver with Nacada were also injured in the chaos. Police said 21 suspects were arrested at the joint.

Detectives also recovered a knife suspected to have been used in the stabbings of the victims.

The police who had accompanied them could not do much as the situation turned chaotic.

It is said that drama broke out when police officers, accompanied by journalists and NACADA officials, arrived at the bar linked to a politician at around 11pm to arrest club managers and patrons for allegedly smoking shisha, which is banned.

And on seeing the journalists, the club's bouncers, dressed in black suits and red ties, charged at them, beating them and forcibly confiscating their recording equipment.

More reinforcements were called, and police officers later took control of the situation and arrested the bouncers, who had fled, changed clothes, and hid in the toilets of the bar to avoid arrest.

This is after they sealed off the place and ordered everyone to get out.