Conservationist Leakey kicked out of city restaurant for demanding tap water
Conservationist Dr Richard Leakey has accused an Italian restaurant owner of harassment after he failed to serve him tap water and kicking him out of the premise.
The incident took place at La Cascina Restaurant in Karen on Tuesday as Dr Leakey and his wife Dr Meave were having lunch.
The couple asked for tap water and were denied and after pressing they were given plastic cups and told to fetch water from the toilet.
The conservationist in a letter to the Ministry of Tourism asked that the restaurant’s license be withdrawn for the proprietor’s “Trumpish attitude” as well as violating Kenyans’ constitutional right.
BOTTLED WATER
“The waiter refused to give us Nairobi water and said they only serve bottled water. As you know, bottled water is costly. I pressed them for this and eventually asked to see the proprietor, an Italian man who comes to table. He reiterated that he would not give us local water which he claimed was not safe,” narrated Dr Leakey in his letter.
The 72-year-old, whose father Dr Louis Leakey was an archeologist in Kenya, said this was the first time he was encountering such behavior since his days as a young boy in Nairobi.
“I suggested that under the law he was not entitled to deny us water and force us to buy his expensive bottles. In response to my request he gave me two plastic cups and told me to go to the toilet to get my own water. When I again remonstrated he took away our unfinished lunch, called security and told us to leave. I asked for his card and he refused and said I should take him to court if I was not happy,” narrated Dr Leakey.
Lawyer Donald B Kipkorir has since taken to Twitter to comment on the matter as the attorney of La Cascino.
1. It is sad that Dr. Richard Leakey, has decided to descend to the gutter to fight La Cascina restaurant with malicious falsehoods.
— Donald B Kipkorir (@DonaldBKipkorir) January 18, 2017
2. Dr. Richard Leakey went to La Cascina and demanded to be given TAP WATER!!! Upmarket restaurants the world over by business choice don't.
— Donald B Kipkorir (@DonaldBKipkorir) January 18, 2017
3. To allege that the European owners of La Cascina were racist against a fellow European, Dr. Richard Leakey is naivety.
— Donald B Kipkorir (@DonaldBKipkorir) January 18, 2017
4. As the lawyer for La Cascina, have formally responded to Dr. Leakey's puerile & malicious allegations & use of social media terrorism.
— Donald B Kipkorir (@DonaldBKipkorir) January 18, 2017
An account belonging to one Zappa Gianpaolo whose only tweets are about the incident suggested that Dr Leakey was offered a free bottle of water as the owner was concerned about “an elderly client’s health.”
@DonaldBKipkorir I would add one thing, before being considered a bad person. I offered to Dr. Leakey, before he made the big voice,
— Zappa Gianpaolo (@camibf64) January 19, 2017
a bottle of water. "For free". we did not even know who he was, my mistake was worrying about the health of an elderly client.
— Zappa Gianpaolo (@camibf64) January 19, 2017
my mistake was to worry about the health of an elderly client https://t.co/yEdjYYdT0Z
— Zappa Gianpaolo (@camibf64) January 19, 2017
