The government has given Kenyans holding illegal firearms until September 30th to surrender them to local authorities in anonymity.
Speaking on Saturday, Kenya National Focal Point on Small Arms and Light Weapons (KNFP) Director Mohamed Amin said persons who will return the guns before September 30th will not face any prosecution.
Amin said the illicit firearms should either be returned to holders’ nearest police station, religious leaders or to community leaders.
“I want to assure those who will return those guns during the amnesty period; they will not be arrested by anyone. They can take them to their nearest police station without fear of intimidation or prosecution as this period means that they are protected,” Amin noted.
In the last 12 months, the government has seized 8,000 firearms from civilians, which will be destroyed in accordance with the provisions of the Nairobi protocol on Small Arms and Light Weapons.
In July, Inspector-General of Police Hillary Mutyambai issued an arrest warrant for more than 4,000 firearm holders who failed to surrender their guns during a vetting exercise carried out early this year.
The vetting exercise aimed at ascertaining the authenticity and proficiency of holders’ firearm licenses. Out of the 9,398 registered gun owners who were vetted, 6,958 were cleared.
