This afternoon, the Kenyan government set 8,700 illegal guns, 366,000 bullets on fire at the GSU Magadi Field Training Campus.
The ceremony was attended by President Uhuru Kenyatta and Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Hillary Mutyambai among other important government officials.
The government warned Kenyans against possessing illicit weapons.
Those who own illegal firearms have been put on notice will be treated as criminals and enemies of the state.
President Uhuru said that the govt has streamlined gun licensing system in the country and advised Kenyans who wish to own firearms to follow laid out procedures.
He said the govt has established a digital register of all civilian firearms holders and issued them with smart licenses.
The destruction of illicit arms goes along way in countering terrorism.
‘Kenya is among the strongest proponents of international action to address the proliferation of small arms & light weapons and that the destruction of the firearms is an indication of the country’s commitment to strengthening regional & global peace & security’, President Uhuru Kenyatta said
In February 2019, the government embarked on a firearms and owners re-registration exercise.
The exercise aimed at ensuring proper electronic records are in place of all those who own guns.
Survey
A survey conducted between 2014 and 2016 by Small Arms Survey, an Institute based in Geneva, Switzerland revealed that there were over ‘750,000 guns in private hands in Kenya’. The biggest in East Africa.
The survey also stated that as other neighboring countries i.e. Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia and Rwanda were reducing their cache of illegal weapons, Kenya’s increased.
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