It’s full house. The revellers are in their hundreds.
As DJ Kalonje, the spin-master of the night, teases with Wakadinali’s hit single ‘Geri Inengi’, the club roars.
The atmosphere is literally ‘lit’, and one can see why this is the most preferred party joint in Nakuru.
With more than six campuses and thousands of students who light up the party night in Nakuru, Kenya’s newest city, Eagles Nest has become the go-to party joint in the city.
Starting Thursdays and flowing throughout the weekend, a host of deejays and other entertainers take turns to thrill the youthful crowd.
Everything here comes with an urban touch; from the Gengetone to Amapiano mixes, dressing by the patrons, the general ambience as well as the choice of drinks coming off the shelves.
Three top artistes from Nairobi are here on this Saturday. This is the spirit that left Nairobi CBD almost seven years ago.
Forget the big ego and the old adage of Nairobi being the entertainment hub, Kenya’s party life has become more vibrant in leading county towns of Eldoret, Kisumu, Nakuru, Mombasa, Machakos and Kericho.
Performing artistes, events organisers and entertainment spots owners in these places are enjoying the boom. And so are local revelers, most of them being the youth studying in those towns.
With the change of wind, entrepreneurs are investing heavily in club lounges and restaurants.
In Nakuru, Platinum 7D used to be the place to be some years ago. It is still among the leading entertainment joints, along with Eagles Nest and Chilli’s Tavern.
While Chilli’s Tavern has become popular for hosting beauty shows organised by different campuses within Nakuru, Eagles Nest is the ‘status’ spot for the young and restless.
Platinum 7D on the other hand is generally about top deejays and good music – over drinks. There is also Party Island Lounge in the neighboring Naivasha town, which is arguably the best-designed club in Kenya.
“We have been getting most of our big club gigs outside Nairobi, mostly in Nakuru, Eldoret and Kisumu. The fans appreciate deejays more out here than they do in Nairobi. The pay is also good too and entertainment spots are more vibrant. I would say with devolution, nightlife went to the counties,” says DJ Kalonje.
“In a single weekend on regular, I find myself crisscrossing those three towns for gigs. It is true that the entertainment life out here has been fueled by the campus students who make the biggest percentage of the fans thronging the party places,” he remarks.
DJ Immo, a radio and club deejay, says Eldoret town is fast adopting the ‘party town’ tag, thanks to the new and modern-looking entertainment spots here.
Most clubs, he says, are attractive and boast of good entertainment range for the young.
“The most vibrant clubs in Eldoret now are TMT Lounge, Tamasha and Edge Residence. You will be shocked to learn that even revelers from Nairobi do visit these spots regularly when partying outside the capital city.
“Basically, like many other top town clubs, this is where you would find the finest deejays playing the latest music, which is a major attraction. They also incorporate the sports factor as well as gaming, both being trends that work hand-in-hand with the party life,” DJ Immo says.
Then there is Kisumu, the home of Ohangla, the mother of some of Kenya’s top solo stars and music bands.
Many of these artistes remain resident entertainers in many entertainment joints in the city.
Iconic spots like Samba Marina Bar and Restaurant and Simba Club stood out in promoting live bands.
The Kisumu nightlife has, however, changed with the arrival of ‘new generation’ joints. It started with the likes of Signature Level 4 Lounge, Club Da Place, Buccanners, Junction Out, La Vue Lounge and Black Pearl.
Top on the list is Club Da Place, the much-hyped lounge and restaurant where all local and regional celebrities call home.
Celebrated emcees like Jalang’o and Kriss Darlin, the brains behind Kenya’s leading reggae outfit Dohty Family made the spot popular for weekend shows. The establishment soon became the fun place to be around the heavily populated Mamboleo.
“Unlike other major towns, most of the nightlife business in Kisumu is not driven by university students. Here, local residents love to party and they are the biggest percentage of the people who support the nightlife.
“They are also big spenders and love ‘eating life with the big spoon’, something that you will evidently note from the priced drinks consumed in most clubs during the night outings,” says Dan Omondi, an events organiser.
“I was doing this same business in Nairobi seven years ago and when I realised that most showbiz shows had moved from Nairobi to the various leading towns, I decided to move my business too and I can attest to the fact that I am doing better here. We have more artistes performing here during weekends than we do in Nairobi,” Omondi says.
It is a different story in Machakos town where the liveliest clubs usually die down after university students go on holiday.
“I know of three clubs that were closed when campus students went on a long holiday as the venues were purely driven by students.
“Machakos is one town that is mostly run by institutions that operate around it and when you think of the nightlife, we are mostly refereeing to students in universities. They are the ones who make this town lively and you can simply tell that universities have closed by visiting the clubs,” says Robert Muia, who runs a wines and spirit shop there.
“Both deejays and artistes are getting more businesses outside Nairobi. You will find an artiste performing in Kisumu, Eldoret and Mombasa every weekend as opposed to Nairobi where clubs simply run by deejay mixes,” says DJ Abstract.
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