This archive report was first published on 13 August 2019.
On August 13, 2019, a woman was arrested at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi for being in possession of a pistol. Florence Wamucii Kiama, alias Florence Wamucii Pfeiffer, was arraigned at the Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi on Tuesday.
She was charged with being in possession of a firearm without a license, contrary to the law. The court was told that on August 7, 2019, at JKIA in Nairobi, the accused was found in possession of a Beretta pistol without a firearm certificate.
Wamucii also faced a second count of lacking a firearm certificate as prescribed by the law. Appearing before Magistrate Martha Mutuku, Wamucii pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Her lawyer explained to the court the circumstances in which she was arrested at the airport, stating that the firearm alleged to be illegal was in a checked luggage all the way from Los Angeles and had passed through three airports where it was duly scanned and declared.
Wamucii also explained to the court that she had dual citizenship as an American and a Kenyan citizen, urging the court to consider USA laws on firearm possession.
Her lawyer further told the court that the accused person's rights had been violated since she had been detained for five days.
Wamucii was released on a cash bail of Ksh.300,000 or Ksh.500,000 bond. The case will be mentioned for pre-trial directions on August 27.
