Kenya shuts down Chinese restaurant on racism charge

The owners of the restaurant said that the measure had been put in place following a robbery in 2013, and have apologised for causing any offence, the Daily Nation reported.

But it said that the Chongquing Chinese restaurant, situated in Nairobi’s bustling commercial and residential district of Kilimani, had been shut down anyway for not having the proper licences.

“We have established that the restaurant did not have the licences and I have have ordered it closed until the management complies,” Nairobi governor Evans Kidero was quoted as saying.

He also said that “all business and service providers must ensure that all customers and clients are treated with respect and dignity, irrespective of race colour, sex, tribe and religion,” the Standard newspaper quoted him as saying.

Reports said the restaurant’s Chinese owners and managers had also been summoned by Kenya’s immigration authorities.

A city official however told the Star newspaper that the incident “has nothing to do with the friendship and diplomatic relations Kenya enjoys with China,” a major investor in east Africa’s biggest economy.