Partying is a favourite past time for a good majority of Kenyans. This being a very competitive industry it requires the players to always be at the top of their game.
In this article, WoK covers the story of Wilson Kanani – the tycoon behind the popular 1824 Whiskey Bar & Lounge along Langata road.
1824 Whiskey Bar & Lounge
1824 Whiskey Bar & Lounge is arguably one of the most popular nightclubs in Nairobi. Located along Langata road opposite the Carnivore Junction, the establishment teems with activities during weekends when revellers are unwinding.
It provides great food, various choices of whiskey, cigars and all local and international beverages. The facility has a VIP lounge and V screens, smoking area, ample parking and outdoor seating where visitors can enjoy their drinks in an open area.
The ambiance of the club is simply captivating with green plants hanging across its roof. What makes the club unique is that it hires different top deejays such as DJ Exclusive, K the deejay and DJ Grauchi to grace their party nights.
It also hosts various themed parties such as Wednesday Culture, Reggae Mondays, Thursdaze and the most popular one, Sunday School. The club is just the right place to spot your popular content creators, influencers or celebrities like musicians and actors. For the longest time, it has been ranked among the top five most preferred clubs and arguably the most famous bar in Nairobi.
The Owner of 1824 Club
1824 Whiskey Bar, Lounge and Grill is owned by City businessman Wilson Kanani through Seventeen Forty Nine Limited. The ownership of the club was first brought to the limelight during the pandemic when police raided the establishment on 17th November 2020.
He owns 1,000 shares in 1824 parent company Seventeen Forty Nine Ltd, similar shares with his co-owners in the business-Biko Ochieng Gwendo and George Avugwi Lutta.
According to from records from the Business Registration Service, the company was incorporated on August 25, 2014.
The club was then closed down citing failure to comply with Covid-19 safety precautions ordered by former the Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe. The proprietor moved to court seeking to compel the police to reopen the club saying that kit had rendered over 100 people jobless.
“The closure has rendered jobless more than 100 persons who work in the establishment as waiters, waitresses. Deejays, MC, parking attendants, cleaners, cooks and security personnel. We have lost Ksh 1.5 million per day since the closure and this amounts to curtailing my business rights and an infringement of employee’s right to economic and social rights,” he told the court through his lawyer Duncan Okatch.
He also added that there was constant harassment by the police and sometimes unfair and malicious arrests of the clubs employees even before the closure. Despite the arrests, no charges have ever been preferred against them.
He named the OCS Lang’ata, Nairobi Regional Commander and the Ministry of health as respondents in the case.
The Club was later reopened in 2021 after the government eased the Covid 19 protocols and is now operating bigger and better than before.
Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) investigations
The businessman is worth Ksh600 million according to the EACC. This is if his bank balances, homes, cars and prime balances are summed up. His two underage children have Ksh3.56 million in their account.
He owns a house in Phenom Estate, Lang’ata, a residential house and rental property in Busia, an apartment in Lang’ata’s NHC estate and an apartment in Kahawa, according to the Daily Nation. Mr Kanani preferred ride is a Mercedes Benz.
The anti-corruption body has marked him for investigation on suspicion of engaging in corrupt dealings with City Hall.
City Hall Employee
Wilson Kanani is employed at City Hall on a Ksh55,866.75 salary. His work entails following up on advertising companies to ensure their billboards and other signage do not violate national and county laws.
