Bar owners want their operating hours extended beyond 7pm cutoff in order for them to recover from the adverse economic effects of Coronavirus lockdowns and closures.

Bar, Hotels and Liquor Traders Association (BAHLITA) said the time restrictions has forced them into huge losses over and above laying off their workers.

The lobby claimed that the two hours the bars are open, during weekdays, would not be sufficient.

“While the resumption of operations by bars is welcome, we would like to ask the President to consider increasing the hours of operation,” BAHLITA secretary-general Boniface Gachoka said.

“An extension of a number of hours would enable us to resume business in a more complete manner and facilitate the resumption of business by the more than 15,000 bars that have been forced to shut down completely due to the vagaries of the pandemic.”

As a demonstration that their business was hurting, the bar owners now want the County governments to cut their taxes and levies in order to cushion their businesses

“We are pleading with the counties that are around and also the national government that we only pay one license that is the liquor license,” BAHLITA chairman Simon Njoroge said.

Restrictions to curb the spread of Covid-19 have affected the sales of alcohol in the country.

Not even East African Breweries Ltd has been spared by the effects the bar owners are lamenting about. The giant alcoholic manufacturer posted a 3 per cent loss