The Nairobi CBD night life has slowly died a natural death

By Silas N via FB

The Nairobi CBD night life has slowly died a natural death.

Earlier this evening, was at NextGen Mall for the Man U game, and Golden Ice was closed and Level 7 just had one section opened. It is a Monday night and Man U is playing and Man U has quite some fans who can sustain a night. Not anymore.

Right in the city centre, attractions that Kept the city running for 24 hours are gone. Nowadays, chances are that you are likely to be the two of you in a bar past 10 p.m.

The Koinange St Florida Club that used to keep Commercial Sex Workers busy and the street active at night was brought down and the sex workers moved to Simmers which was promptly brought down. Now, you will find a sprinkling of the sex workers on Wabera St and some along Kenyatta Avenue, but you can tell, the times are hard.

There are about two active clubs in the CBD. Mojo’s and Tribeka. Mojo’s still tries and Tribeka constantly looks like they are clearing stock to pave way for yet another Somali Restaurant. But even the two clubs rarely draw decent crowds anymore, save for the odd end,-month Friday.

Further down Kimathi St, Pronto, a Somali restaurant co-exists with some club called 7 Knights. Just a decade ago, that stretch had Bettyz, Tacos/Iclub, Gravity and the other that was in Norwich Union where Nonini and Genge musicians shot their videos, like the famous Keroro(which senior Tony Ontita, then fresh from Russia) introduced. There was also Seasons on Old Mutual building that my cousin once aptly called the club of bored couples (lately I think Level 7, is that club). A breath away was Tanager, a pub that sold beer cheaply for broke journalists.

A lot has changed. Bettyz became Club 64 and last time I was there a year ago, the DJ was playing Westlife over an Arsenal Liverpool match, amidst protest from some fat, rude guy, who walked out with his clique in protest. Tanager is now a Somali restaurant. Seasons gave way to Faulu Kenya and the club at Norwich Union that died one of the slowest, painless deaths gave way to stalls. Tacos changed to Iclub, before it became a glittering fast food joint.

Moi Avenue, with the exception of Samba looks dead. Not sure if Scratch is there, but I hear there is Avenida. I never really cared about Moi Avenue. Or downwards, but I know Mist on Tom Mboya, good joint it was, and where Otenyo Nyaigoti could throw many around is all but gone.

Who killed the night life?
Change of drinking trends?
Cost of drinking?
Alcoblow?
Kids smoking too much weed?
Somali restaurants?
Jubilee economy?

All of the above…

What I know is that Nairobi is remarkably different from the one Tony Mochama documented a while back.

Times change. Man.