Kiambu County Commissioner Joshua Nkanatha has banned the growing trend of Nairobi residents taking to the tranquil tea farms and roads of Kiambu County, especially on Sundays, to ‘have fun’.
Addressing the public on Thursday, December 14, 2023, Mr Nkanatha noted that the ‘park and chill’ sessions have been a trend since the Covid-19 pandemic.
“This trend has emerged in the region since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Youths travel from Nairobi and come to Githunguri and Limuru to party, drink alcohol, listen to loud music, and even engage in sexual activities.
“This is of great concern to us. We have been cracking down for the past three weeks. We have arrested some of them in Limuru and taken them to court,” said Nkanatha.
The commissioner also noted that the issue has raised security concerns in the area.
Dissatisfied with the disruptive activities, he called on all county commissioners to work together to eradicate what he saw as a threat to peace and order in Kiambu.
“We don’t want to see such activities here, and as the Kiambu security committee, we are banning them,” he stated. “We are working with the police officers to ensure that there is a permit for all areas where alcohol consumption takes place. On the streets, there is no permit.
Emphasizing the seriousness of the crackdown, Nkanatha said: “This youth is even coming with a DJ.
We have vowed to continue the crackdown. We have an operational order to stop these gatherings.
“We want them to make sure that the citizens are safe. We do not want to hear about alcoholism and drug use and we want to be on the lookout for illegal immigrants. It is time for every leader, whether they are in uniform or not, to make sure that we end this problem,” Nkanatha added.
In July 2021, police officers shut down Pierra Makena’s ‘Park ‘n’ Chill’ event in Meru.
The DJ took to Instagram to express her frustration.
“The authorities were sent to shut down my event. The only explanation they had was kuna covid. I asked if they knew I had curated my event to suit the new normal and they said they had been told not to allow me, that’s it..mkubwa amesema,” the mother of one said.
Pack and Chill is an outdoor, social, park, and chill hangout event where the beauty of our country meets a whole new world of entertainment
