Popular Citizen TV anchor Trevor Ombija was trending on Twitter for the better part of Wednesday following his remarks during a meeting between bar owners and Nairobi Deputy Governor Njoroge Muchiri.
In a clip that has been shared widely, Ombija defends an establishment listed for closure over noise pollution by saying he offered one complainant the option of soundproofing her house.
"I started by her roof, she said no...I said okay, for me to do any soundproofing for the entire house I will need to get a permit from the county government," he said.
"Show me your lease, get a confirmation from the landlord and they are okay with me soundproofing your apartment she refused. Now what she does, she puts stones outside on the road saying many of my customers park outside her apartment therefore it is a security concern."
The journalist further argued that it would make more sense if there was a minimum threshold for a complaint where a significant number of residents would raise concern over sound levels.
"I've had back-to-back issues in terms of the sound levels that are there. One thing that I would like to propose, and like the chair had already said, when there's a complaint against a bar owner or a restaurant, let's have more than half of the people complaining.
"If the apartments are 20, 15 of them should show us their lease, sign and tell us this is the problem," he said.
This statement did not go down well with Kenyans on Twitter who lambasted him for his reasoning.
Trevor clarified his earlier remarks by saying one of his neighbours wanted the joint in question to be shut down because he did not give her a landscaping job but even this did not deter KOT from castigating him.
Trevor Ombija, if you are the noisemaker, you shut your mouth. You don't offer to seal our ears. Noise pollution must be contained.
- Nelson Havi (@NelsonHavi) October 12, 2022
Yaani Trevor Ombija stood confidently and said he offered to soundproof a neighbour's house... let that sink in. Not his nightclub located in a residential area WHICH has the noise issues, but someone's home... mimi I have never heard something so absurd.
- Wanjiru wa Ndooro (@Gaddafess) October 12, 2022
In 2018 Waititu said that the rivers next to his illegal buildings should be moved to prevent their demolition. In 2022 Trevor Ombija is saying that we should soundproof our homes so that his bar can continue polluting our neighborhoods... Awuoro! ?? https://t.co/VdtRyUxGDq
- Odanga Madung (@Odangaring) October 12, 2022
Hiyo explanation ya Trevor Ombija na ile ya Ferdinand Waititu ya riparian land ziko same WhatsApp Group, lmao!
- Billy The GOAT (@_CrazyNairobian) October 12, 2022
During the meeting with bar owners, Deputy Governor Muchiri instructed club owners not to infringe on the rights of residents, urging them to invest in soundproofing to minimize noise.
Mike Muthamia, the chairperson of the Bar Owners' Association, on his part, said they were ready to adhere to the rules and called for continuous dialogue and inclusion to ensure peaceful co-existence.