The Alchemist has been on the spot twice in a span of a month. In the first case, a man named Emmanuel Murgor posted a video that caught the attention of people online. The video portrayed black people queueing in a different line from white people and Indian revellers. This ended up causing an uproar as the joint was allegedly accused of discrimination.
This led to the establishment being closed so that investigation could be done. A few days later, a statement was issued by Emmanuel after attending a meeting with the management to discuss the matter. In the statement that was made public by the bar’s management, Emmanuel asked for forgiveness and admitted that he had wrongfully accused the establishment.
It’s been a crazy week to say the least
We met with Emmanuel and his advocate to discuss the incident on May 20th. He has acknowledged that the clip shared was misleading to the public and was not representative of what happened that evening and what we stand for. pic.twitter.com/z60nCtssil
— The Alchemist Bar (@AlchemistBar254) June 3, 2022
The establishment was then re-opened, and everything went back to normal. On the 26th of June 2022, a woman on Twitter who goes by the username @mwikaliiii shared a video on Twitter about a woman being manhandled at the Alchemist. The cause of the altercation was unknown; however, a few people who were there shared what it was about. According to one of the ladies who goes by the username AnushkaKE the lady was drunk and causing mayhem.
When you see how these Alchemist bouncers manhandled this woman last night you understand why we need to #ShutDownAlchemist pic.twitter.com/C1OfX3lyn8
— Mwikali. (@mwikaliiii) June 26, 2022
People on Twitter reacted to the story, and a majority of them asked the same question ” Why do people still go to the Alchemist?”. The joint has been on the spot for a serious issue and that should have been a red flag. Yet people still feel the need to go there and later complain that the joint should be shut down. Is it that we never learn, or do we always want to experience the worst before we decide enough is enough?
At this point, we need to open our eyes and think deeply about the cases highlighted about establishments. The same case should be applied to service providers as well. There are many reputable restaurants and bars in Nairobi where people can enjoy themselves without fear of such cases.
The money is yours to spend, so spend it in a place where you feel comfortable. If we keep on raising such cases, then at some point, they will never be taken seriously. Let’s learn from other people’s experiences and do better.
Here are a few responses to Mwikaliiii’s post about the issue.
People who go to Alchemist and people who use Bolt same WhatsApp group. You will be told how they are not good for you but y'all will continue patronizing their services. Until one day you realize that you personally are not safe at all. https://t.co/nNy34B5vc5
— Rayhab 🇰🇪 (@potentash) June 27, 2022
This woman was very drunk abusive to other customers and when politely told to leave she started abusing everybody around and throwing bottles which was very risky @AlchemistBar254 I was there https://t.co/apG0osIl7k
— anii (@Nairobiisbabe) June 27, 2022
I'm sorry but MUST y'all party at Alchemist? because we hear these stories every 2 weeks. https://t.co/QjeJE7nkMP
— Araba (@VellaJimmie) June 27, 2022
You yourself why were you there? You want them to be shut down but it is you keeping them in business. Make it make sense https://t.co/TEUxRShScD
— Tata wa Makodofia (@DushiNjenga) June 27, 2022
PESA NA STAREHE NI YAKO! Why let a club mistreat and manhandle you? Toka! Enda club ingine, better yet enda local yako, spend 1000Bob n get VIP treatment all night. This obsession with brands is the cause of all these sh!tty treatment you're getting out here. #ShutDownAlchemist https://t.co/uR8kOShPtI
— MtU_MaJi (@MajiMtu) June 27, 2022
#Alchemist is that ex who blocks you and you still reach out to her with different numbers. Move on, nothing will change. https://t.co/vfIWqYDnWe
— seti (@githamboseti) June 27, 2022
#Alchemist ought to be the last place that comes to Nairobians when thinking about going out to have fun. Like why use your money to cause you pain instead of enjoyment..? #shutdownalchemist https://t.co/duXKXb9z0H
— Austin Ohiho (@Ohiho23) June 27, 2022