This archive report was first published on 4 May 2021.
On March 4, 2020, police officers accompanying auctioneers on a recovery mission in Lavington discovered a pistol in the home of Juma Mohamed Motha, a city resident.
According to the charges, Motha negligently and without reasonable cause failed to secure the pistol, contrary to the Firearms Act.
He was also accused of unlawful possession of a firearm, as police allegedly found an air gun inside his house for which he did not have a license.
During an investigation, police verified Motha's firearm licensing certificate, which was found to be genuine, but he only had a license for the pistol.
He reportedly told police officers that he had inherited the air gun from his late grandfather.
Additionally, Motha was charged with being in possession of a firearm imitation after he was found with a plastic AK47 rifle.
The guns were allegedly found in some of the drawers in his house as auctioneers executed a court order in relation to a debt of slightly over Sh1 million he owed a businessman.
On May 4, 2021, Motha denied all the charges before senior principal magistrate Renee Kitangwa of the Kibera law courts.
He was freed on a Sh100,000 bond with a surety of similar amount and an alternative cash bail of Sh100,000.
The case will be mentioned on May 17, 2021, when the court will set the hearing dates.
