This archive report was first published on 21 September 2019.
Published on September 21, 2019, the government has launched a campaign to encourage Kenyans to surrender their illegal firearms during the Amnesty month.
According to Mohamed Amin, the Director of the Kenya National Focal Point On Small Arms and Light Weapons, a survey conducted by Africa Amnesty indicated that in Kenya, over 600,000 firearms are in the hands of civilians.
"A recent survey shows that we have roughly 550,000 to 650,000 illegal firearms in the hands of ordinary citizens. As you are aware recently there was a review of civilian licensing. The government has already put measures of collecting those illegal guns from Kenyans," Amin told journalists at a briefing.
Those in possession of illicit firearms are urged to return them to the nearest police station, religious leaders, or community leaders before September 30, and will be protected from prosecution.
"I want to assure those who will return those guns during the amnesty period, they will not be arrested by anyone. They can take them to their nearest police station without fear of intimidation or prosecution as this period means that they are protected," Amin added.
The government will hold a public destruction of all the surrendered and confiscated firearms by the end of the year, aligning with the International Day of Peace.
