A prominent personality has surrendered 30 guns after his clients raised concern that the guns were not registered with the government.
Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) Fred Matiang’i and other senior State security officers were on Tuesday, February 26, left in disbelief after the gun dealer unpacked and displayed his collection, 10 shotguns, 18 assault rifles and a handful of pistols and revolvers.
The firearms were surrendered in the ongoing vetting and amnesty by the Firearms Licensing Board against illegal firearm holders until April, 2019, as reported by a local TV station.
The Interior CS is reported to have expressed shock at the number of specialised high-calibre firearms which are in the hands of civilians.
Matiangi further blasted civilians using guns as showoff toys or as an expression of machismo with a likely reference to the scenario on Tuesday, January 15, during the Dusit D2 terror attack.
“This is not a gun land and we will not allow people to run all manner of businesses even dealers who are selling and distributing firearms must be licensed by the board,” the CS stated.
During the Riverside Drive attack, Steve Mbogo, a city politician, showed up wearing a bulletproof vest and displaying a semi-automatic rifle.
This is despite the fact that he was not actively participating in the rescue and evacuation efforts consequently earning him a summon by the police.
Board chair Charles Mukindia said lack of following the law in issuing the licenses allowed such proliferation of specialised firearms in private hands.
“I want to caution some people holding semi-automatic and machine guns that they are a reserve of Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) and other specialised forces,” Mukindia cautioned.
So far, the Firearms Licensing Board has requisitioned 340 firearms and 5,371 assorted ammunition and cancelled 36 licenses issued irregularly in the ongoing vetting exercise.