Government revokes MP Simba Arati’s firearm license

Dagoretti North Member of Parliament Simba Arati has been ordered to surrender his firearms.

In a notice dated January 30, the Firearms Licensing Board revoked the MP’s firearm certificate, noting that the MP is longer fit to be entrusted with firearms.

Mr. Arati has been given until the end of Thursday, February 1 to surrender his two firearms; a glock pistol and shotgun.

“In accordance with the Provisions of the Firearms Act Cap 114 Laws of Kenya your Firearm Certificate No. 10242 issued to you on 12 November 2015 is with effect from the date of this notice, revoked as the Firearms Licensing Board is satisfied that the revocation is warranted under section 3(5) (b) and section 5(7) of the above mentioned Act for reasons that you are unfit to be entrusted with a firearm anymore,” read the notice issued by the board’s Secretary Samuel Kimaru.

This comes as the government continues with a crackdown on opposition leaders and other individuals said to have been behind the controversial ‘swearing in’ of NASA leader Raila Odinga.

On Tuesday, Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i proscribed NASA’s National Resistance Movement (NRM) as a criminal group formed to incite the public against a democratically elected government saying they must be stopped.

He later termed the ‘swearing in’ of Mr Odinga as an attempt to “subvert or overthrow the legally constituted government,” adding that investigations had commenced into the event.