The operator of a Chinese restaurant in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya which, for clarification purposes – the need for which will become clear, is in Africa, has been arrested.
But what crime, I hear you ask, is the no doubt inscrutable Eastern lady or gentleman guilty of? Well, Zhao Yang, proprietor of the Chinese restaurant that goes by the cleverly descriptive name Chinese Restaurant, has banned Africans.
“African peddlers?” I hear you enquire. “African vagrants, perhaps?” No. Anyone who is African and Black, presumably, is banned after 5pm.
Reporters from the Daily Nation, Kenya’s biggest newspaper, were recently refused entry and told by a guard that only taxi drivers and Africans accompanied by Chinese, European or Indian patrons were allowed into the compound after sunset. The policy was introduced last year after a robbery.
“We don’t admit Africans that we don’t know because you never know who is Al-Shabaab and who isn’t,” said Esther Zhao, the restaurant’s relations manager. “It is not like it is written on somebody’s face that they are a thug armed with a gun.”
She added that the Chinese people who stay there or come to dine “want to feel safe”.
Fine, but the obvious flaw that comes to mind is that armed robbers are unlikely to be deterred by a polite notice informing them that they will be persona non grata until daylight. I might even suggest that such a policy could easily motivate local crims and sundry ne’er-do-wells to target said establishment with increased frequency.
Charitably, the management claimed it was willing to waive the rule for “loyal” African patrons, defined as those who spent at least Sh20,000 (£146) at the restaurant over a specified period that they then failed to specify. However, other members of staff, speaking anonymously, told the newspaper that it was very rare that any Africans were allowed into the restaurant after 5pm.
“It is strictly a no-African policy and we have even had to turn away some prominent Kenyans who were obviously not a security threat,” said one worker.
Otiende Amollo, chair of Kenya’s Commission on Administrative Justice, said the case amounted to “racial and ethnic profiling”, which is unconstitutional and illegal.
“It has in it the inherent assumption that Africans are inevitably predisposed to be robbers,” he said.
Amollo warned that his commission was able to put pressure on the county government to revoke the licences of a private company accused of discrimination. But just hours after the article was published, causing outcry on social media, the owner of the restaurant was arrested, according to The Guardian.
Zhao Yang was charged for operating the restaurant without a valid licence and faces a prison term of 18 months or a fine of more than £670 if found guilty.
My final comment is one I hope anyone thinking of patronising said restaurant will heed. I have a maxim I attribute to a wise old grandparent to give it authority. Never eat from someone who doesn’t want to feed you – the ‘special’ may not meet your approval!
