why Obado, Joho will have to undergo a mandatory vetting before Christmas

Migori County governor, alongside all other political leaders who are licensed gun holders will now have to undergo a mandatory vetting process. The government has announced that a 90-day rigorous verification of all firearm certificates in Kenya will begin on December 17.

The exercise will be carried out by the Firearms Licensing Board (FLB), which all also “establish, maintain and monitor a centralised electronic register of all private citizens holding firearms”

Firearms that were recovered from the hideout of a gang at Kenol town in Murang'a County

In a statement on December 5, the Interior ministry, headed by Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiang’i, noted irregularities in the oversight of gun ownership and use by private citizens.

It cited lapses in the licensing of civilians, dealers and shooting range owners, that in turn leads to illegal possession, misuse, transfer and trafficking of these weapons.

“It goes without saying that this dangerous trend has fuelled various acts of terrorism and crimes as robberies with violence, carjacking, poaching and cattle rustling,” the ministry said.

During the moratorium, all civilian firearm holders will be required to appear before the FLB in person for a check of their suitability to have the weapons.

They are required to present the weapons and certificates for review.

“Upon qualification, they will be issued with new smart licences,” the statement stated.

People owning firearms illegally were asked to surrender them before the moratorium ends on March 17, failure of which they will be punished in line with the law.

Prohibited firearms range from automatic/semi-automatic self-loading military assault rifles to guns that fall outside the functioning cycle described in the Firearms Act.

They include G3, AK-47, M16 rifle, Uzi, Sterling-Patchett MK5, CZ Scorpion Evo 3, and MP5 among others.

Image result for illegal firearms memes

Just recently when Ethics and Anti-corruption (EACC) detectives raided two of Governor Obado’s homes in search of documents to aid in graft probe against him, they discovered eight guns, among them three unlicensed guns, leading to his arrest where he was charged and released on a Ksh 500,000 bond by a Kibera Court.

Do you think this move by the government will help recover all unlicensed firearms?

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