Police officers in Siaya County have caught an imposter red-handed after posing as buyers of a gun that had been stolen at the station.
According to a police statement recorded at the Siaya Police Station seen by Kenyans.co.ke on Sunday, July 5, the suspect, Kevin Oduor Onyango, 23, was arrested attempting to sell a G3 rifle to police officers who had disguised themselves as civilians.
Acting on a tip-off, three officers, Wachiuri Kinuthia, James Muriuki and Moses Bett, carried out a covert operation to recover the gun which had been stolen at the station.
"They posed as potential buyers and the firearm was delivered to them within Siaya Township," reads the police record in part.
The operation took place early morning at around 6:30 a.m. on Sunday, Jul 5.
The police also recovered one magazine and 13 rounds of 7.63mm caliber ammunition as well as a Kenya Army trouser, Kenya Police raincoat and smoke camouflage jacket.
The suspect was taken to Siaya Police Station awaiting further action as investigations for another suspect who escaped.
The fight against illegal gun ownership has been a thorn in the flesh of the Interior Ministry which compelled Interior CS Fred Matiang'i to order a fresh audit of all licensed guns in the country.
After the exercise, which was commissioned in 2018 concluded early 2019, the Firearms Licensing Board had revoked licences of 13 gun dealers in the country out of the 33 that are registered.
Out of the 13,805 registered firearm holders in the country, only 9,398 appeared before the board for vetting leaving some 4,407 unaccounted for.
1,493 firearms were withdrawn during the exercise.
The Interior Ministry also disclosed that 21,000 rounds of ammunition had been recovered during the exercise.
It was further by the ministry clarified that the bullets were in the hands of illegal holders and that a huge chunk of unscrupulous people had not shown up for the exercise.
