Businessman Jimi Wanjigi has been summoned by the Firearms and Licensing Board after a Nairobi-based court upheld the sentencing of the Directorate of Criminal Investigation boss George Kinoti.
The board explained that the businessman was required to undergo fresh vetting as was directed by the Interior Cabinet Secretary, Fred Matiang'i, over civilian gun holders in 2019.
Additionally, Wanjigi has been accused of filing wrongful lawsuits against government agencies that are not mandated to handle civilian firearms. The board maintained that they were responsible for vetting and licensing of civilian firearm holders.
This was after the presidential hopeful sued Kinoti for failing to return his firearms that were confiscated from his house after the heated 2017 General election.
The position of the firearms board was echoed by the Attorney General and the DCI boss through their lawyer Cecil Miller, who wanted Kinoti's four-month jail term suspended arguing that Kinoti did not have custody of the firearms.
"Your honour, take notice that we are going to appeal the court’s decision. However, we want the court to note that there is a recent letter by the Firearms Licensing Board which indicates that they are the ones having Wanjigi’s guns and not the DCI’s office,”
“Kinoti does not have any role in respect of the civilians’ firearm but the firearms board,” Miller stated.
However, Judge Antony Mrima rejected the applicant’s arguments stating that the DCI had failed to prove the location of the firearms.
“It is a fact that it was the DCI who seized the firearms, and he has not provided any evidence to show that they (guns) moved from his office to the Firearms Licensing Board. In the absence of such evidence, it means that they (DCI) are still holding the firearms and he (Kinoti) was rightly sued,” Mrima ruled.
Amidst the back and forth court battles between Wanjigi and Kinoti, Wiper party leader, Kalonzo Musyoka, who was attending a function together with Wanjigi on Sunday, November 28, offered to mediate between the two to find a solution that will see the embattled DCI boss a free man.
"Kinoti is just a faithful servant of this republic executing his duty so I would like to intervene. You know that I am an arbitrator, I will call you with Kinoti so that you can forgive each other so that he can continue with his work," Kalonzo stated.
However, Wanjigi refrained from commenting on Kalonzo’s offer. Instead, he praised his wife, Irene Nzisa, for hiding him for three days as the police were looking for the businessman in the house.
