Illegal gun holders given 10 days to surrender guns

The government has given all persons holding illegal guns until September 30, 2019 to surrender them to local authorities in anonymity without prosecution.

The announcement was made on Saturday during the International Peace Day which was marked as Africa Amnesty month on voluntary surrender of illegal firearms.

Speaking during the event, the Director of the Kenya National Focal Point on Small Arms (KNFP) Mohamed Amin urged all illegal arm holders to capitalize on this amnesty period to avoid prosecution once the ultimatum lapses.

The government has seized 8000 firearms from civilians over the last year, which will be destroyed by KNFP and the Regional Centre on Small Arms (RECSA), in accordance with the provisions of the Nairobi protocol on Small Arms and Light weapons.

On July 5, 2019, Police Inspector General Hillary Mutyambai issued an arrest warrant for over 4,000 gun holders who failed to surrender their firearms.

According to him, 4,407 registered gun holders did not present themselves for the mandatory vetting exercise that was to ascertain the authenticity and proficiency of their licenses.

A total of 9,398 registered gun owners were vetted and 6,958 cleared in the process that also uncovered ‘peculiar lapses and procedural improprieties in the acquisition, use, possession and transfer of firearms.’

The operation is part of the Interior Ministry’s move to deal with a surge in gun-related crime in the country.