The Interior Ministry on Wednesday issued a 90-day moratorium for all civilian firearm holders to undergo fresh vetting.
In a statement sent to newsrooms, the newly established Firearms Licensing Board (FLB) will commence the rigorous exercise of all firearms certificates in the country on December 17.
The Board will also establish, maintain, and monitor a centralized electronic register of all private citizens holding firearms.
"All civilian firearms holders must appear in person before the Firearms Licensing Board (FLB) for mandatory vetting with a view to certifying their suitability to own guns. They must also avail their weapons for review and certificates for authentication. Upon qualification, they will be issued with smart licences," reads the statement in part.
Anyone in illegal possession of any firearm must surrender it to the government within the 90-day moratorium failure to which they will be met with the full force of law.
Prohibited firearms range from automatic/semi-automatic self-loading military assault rifles to guns that fall outside the functioning cycle described in the Firearms Act. They include G3, AK-47, M16 rifle, Uzi, Sterling-Patchett MK5, CZ Scorpion Evo 3, and MP5 among others.
After March 17, 2019 deadline, all firearms un-vetted certificates held by civilians will be considered expired and thus invalid. Any private citizen in possession of a firearm or ammunition without certification under the new regime will be deemed to have acquired it illegally, a crime punishable by imprisonment and other penalties provided for in the Firearms Act.
Any civilian in possession of any prohibited firearm must surrender it to the government within this period notwithstanding the authenticity of the licence.
Only the police officers under the National Police Service (NPS), the military personnel under the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), and officers working under the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and members of other security agencies will be exempted from this vetting exercise.
The Inspector General of the National Police will oversee the vetting and auditing of all NPRs with a view to creating a new database of genuine officers for better management and coordination of security operations.
Here is the statement:
