Most people in Kenya own guns as toys. The number of people with access to machinery guns have just skyrocketed that the government decided to swing into fast action.
More than 300 guns and 5,000 bullets have been confiscated from firearm holders with fake licences, the Firearms Licensing Board said yesterday.
Interior CS Fred Matiang’i said the individuals fraudulently obtained the firearms.
He said some firearms have ended up in wrong hands “either because people came and compromised the system and got the firearms even before they were tested or even physically appeared before the board because of the way we have been doing things in the past.”
He said all people with firearms must appears before the board so that the agency knows who holds the licence.
Some of the firearms recovered are military grade weapons that should not be in the hands of civilians, the CS said.
Matiang’i said he was shocked a candidate appeared for vetting with five pistols and 14 assault rifles including four sophisticated weapons.
Pistol and bullets laying on table
The moratorium for people with fake licences or in possession of firearms without licences ends on March 7. Matiang’i said “there shall be no extension even for an hour.”
Police will launch a crackdown on those with illegal firearms after the vetting ends.
The board will publish the schedule for the remaining regions in the country and how it will conduct the vetting.
“You can see the exercise is being done meticulously. Records are being checked with firearm holders taking their weapons to DCI headquarters for ballistic tests,” the CS said. The holders were asked to take their certificates of psychiatrist test before they are issued with licences. The vetting began three weeks ago in Nairobi with over 3,500 firearm holders vetted.