Truth about Nairobi's popular 1824 club shutting down

Popular Nairobi club 1824 has shut down its location along Lang'ata Road.

The reasons for the club's closure have not been made public, and social media has been abuzz with videos and photos of the club being shut down, leaving many confused about the sudden move.

However, a source at the club revealed that the club would open in another location.

"We will open in another location, we'll tell guys," the source said in a short response.

A number of Kenyans mistakenly linked to new development to freezing of assets belonging to one of its directors, Wilson Nahashon Kanani.

The club, which came under the scrutiny of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, has been the subject of investigations regarding the accumulation of illicit wealth by its owner, who is a junior staff member of the Nairobi County government.

This is not the first time the club has faced closure, as it was previously raided by police in 2022 following a directive to close all bars in residential areas.

The club had also been closed in 2020 for noncompliance with Covid-19 regulations, resulting in significant financial losses.

EACC case

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has set its sights on Wilson Nahashon Kanani, amidst suspicions of amassing a substantial fortune through fraudulent means.

Kanani, whose reported wealth amounts to a staggering Sh643 million stands in stark contrast to his official monthly net salary of Sh55,000.

READ: EACC unmasks Nairobi County gov't junior employee worth Sh537M

EACC believes Kanani’s wealth was acquired through illicit means.

Among his properties include land totalling Sh11.2 million in Busia, an apartment worth Sh6.5 million in Kahawa Downs, and land in Naivasha valued at Sh3.5 million.

Cars which were part of the frozen property include a Sh7 million Toyota Landcruiser L200, a Sh2 million Toyota Alphard, and two Mercedes Benz cars worth Sh3.1 million and Sh3.4 million.

Cash worth Sh533.4 million held in different banks associated with Kanani and his wife was also frozen by the courts.