Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) enforcement team has Saturday morning; February 23 closed two top city bars including Atmosphere Lounge and Big Mike’s Bar in Kololo for noise pollution.
According to a statement by KCCA, the two bars are also accused of flouting Public Health Regulations as well as lack of operational licenses.
“Early this morning, we closed Atmosphere Lounge and Big Mike’s Bar in Kololo for noise pollution and flouting public health regulations as well as lack of operational licenses. This is part of a major crackdown on noise polluters in the city launched this week,” KCCA tweeted.
This comes two days after seven hangouts in Kololo were dragged to court by five residents in the area over allegedly causing noise pollution.
KCCA and NEMA were sued for allegedly failing to execute their mandate of ensuring compliance with the laws.
For a long time residents of the upmarket area of Kololo in Kampala’s Central division have been up in arms over the bars and their landlords over noise pollution.
Five residents of the area including the executive director of Oxfam International, Winnie Byanyima, filed a suit in the High Court, claiming that the bar operators have erected big size screens with music videos and flood lights reflecting in people’s homes and emitting noise beyond the maximum permissible noise levels.
The bars sued include Big Mike’s, H2O, Casablanca, Wave Lounge, Bubbles O’Leary’s, and Atmosphere Lounge.
Court before Justice Henrietta Wolayo has set February 26 this year to rule on the case.
