Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja says he will not shut down noisy churches and mosques in city estates despite many Kenyans complaining about their participation in noise pollution.

Sakaja indicated that he is a believer hence he would not move around Nairobi City County shutting down places of worship and will instead instigate talks with them to tone down.

He argued that churches, mosques and other places of worship were places where Kenyans comprehended the law and appealed to worshippers to observe provisions of the law.

“We are going to have a conversation also with the churches that please let us be considerate of others. And that is how you spread the gospel by being a good example. Of course, I cannot go and close churches,” said Sakaja.


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The governor added: “I will not do that because I am a believer and I will not touch a place of worship; whether it’s a mosque, a church or a synagogue but we are urging them to set an example and be responsible.”

However, Sakaja vowed not to relent in his crackdown on noisy nightclubs and bars being operated in residential areas across the city county.

He was speaking at the Nairobi Green Park Terminus as he oversaw the relocation of long-distance commuter vehicles operating to Western Kenya from the Central Business District.

“Let’s take care of our young people. Let the children sleep in the estates. We have cancelled all the nightclub licenses in the estates and they will continue to operate as bars and restaurants; not as nightclubs,” Sakaja warned.

He downplayed concerns over potential job losses arising from his crackdown in clubs urging the proprietors to support his efforts to restore order in the CBD and estates.

“The CBD, Industrial Area, Woodvale Groove in Westlands - those will be entertainment hotspots that you yourselves will enjoy," Sakaja concluded.

However, many Nairobians have raised issue with the decision by Sakaja not to touch noisy churches in residential areas terming it as double standards in the application of the law on noise pollution.