There has been a public uproar from Kenyans following the news that a Chinese restaurant located in Nairobi’s Kilimani area is blatantly discriminating against Africans.

According to an Article by Njoki Chege on the Nation Newspaper, which brought the issue to light after some journalists were barred from entering the restaurant, Chongqing Chinese restaurant does not allow Africans admission after 5pm. The management is reported to have introduced the “no-African after 5pm” policy because Africans pose a security threat to its Chinese patrons.

Kenyans, who were totally appalled by such racism being undertaken against Africans in an African nation, took to social media to condemn the restaurant under the trending hashags ; #RacistRestaurant, #NoBlacksHere, #TheChinese and people have been mobilizing to storm the restaurant in protest.

Below are some of the remarks;

ENyandong: No! Someone recently said this country has been sold to the Chinese. Do we need any other evidence? #NoBlacksHere

Wairimu Ndoria-sauter: Shut it down

Arthur De La’Rey: I say this is our motherland and if we allow ourselves to be treated like second class citizens, where else shall we go? Where else shall we say we are free from discrimination? We need to put an end to this. It’s a free country and I as a Kenyan I should be free to go anywhere I please/want!! So out with the Chinese.

Ivy Karugi: This is our fault, in Kenya foreigners tend to have more rights than we do and its time we took our power back!!

In another twist to the saga, it turns out that the Chinese restaurant was even operating without a license.

The restaurant owner, Zhao Yang, was arrested yesterday and charged with operating a restaurant illegally, contrary to Kenya’s tourism laws. He was released on a police bond of Sh50,000 and is set to appear in court on Thursday.

“Zhao Yang, the proprietor of Chinese Restaurant has been found to operate a restaurant without a license contrary to Section 112 (1) (a) as read with Section 112 (2) of the Tourism Act, 2011,” read a charge sheet prepared by the Tourist Police office in Nairobi.

RESIDENTS ONLY

Chongqing Chinese Restaurant Managing Director, Jinke Xie, has through a press statement said that they have a policy that only allows residents to be accommodated at the hotel after 5pm as a security measure prompted after a recent robbery incident at the facility.

“We are a new establishment and our principal focus of business is to source tourists from China and take them to various attractions in the country.

The facility is their stop before we take them to Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Amboseli among others,” said Xie in a statement yesterday. He said the restaurant is open to all clients who use the facility by day, but is open only to residents in the evening, who are nearly always exclusively Chinese,” reads a section of the statement.