On May 31, 2022, The Alchemist Bar in Westlands, Nairobi, closed its doors to allow for an investigation by the Nairobi County Government.
The bar came under fire after a video went viral online showing guards allegedly turning away customers for being black.
According to the video posted on Twitter, the bar's bouncers were seen sending away black Kenyans at the entrance, asking them to join a queue reserved for Kenyans of African descent.
Initially, the bar released a statement apologising for the incident, but later released CCTV footage claiming the accusations were 'categorically untrue.'
However, in a recent statement, the bar chose to close to allow for a thorough investigation into the incident.
'The last few days have shown us that we have much work to do to hire a new security team and develop new systems and processes to ensure that every single person feels welcome,' the statement read.
The Nairobi County Government investigation aims to review the night of May 20th, determine if guests were denied entry, and if there was a policy in place for separate lines.
The investigation will also review The Alchemist's policies, interview individuals in the video, and review footage from past events to determine if there has been a policy of discrimination.
