Nairobi City county governor Anne Kananu has moved to suspend the trading licences of the Alchemist Bar after the recent allegations of racial discrimination against patrons and noise pollution.

Kananu has directed that a probe into the operations at the establishment be conducted immediately and also on the reported incidents of racial discrimination and a comprehensive report to be tabled in her office within five working days.

This comes hours after the establishment released a statement announcing closure to avail time for investigations into the claims after a video clip that captured management discriminating against its black customers made rounds on social media.

The bar also stated that it would be liaising with the Nairobi County Government to get to the bottom of the matter and establish whether indeed the aggrieved customers who were captured complaining in the video were in fact denied entry.

"After careful consultations with Nairobi County Government, the Alchemist has agreed to close its doors while a thorough investigation is conducted over the next few days." the statement read.

Among the investigations that the county government will be involved in will be the review of the night of May 20 when the video was recorded and the circumstances surrounding the separate lines for guests, as well as the review of the existence of discrimination policy at the establishment.

"The closure will allow review of The Alchemist, in general, to determine if there has ever been a policy of discrimination. Interviews and footage will be reviewed of the past events both at the gate and inside the establishment," read the statement in part.

So far 10 officials have been arrested and arraigned.

The establishment on Sunday issued an apology to its customers on Sunday, May 29, and said that the management had reached out to the individuals who posted the video on social media to get more information on the incident. 

"To anyone that has felt aggrieved, we sincerely apologize and we look forward to sitting down together and addressing these issues head-on." the apology read.