Firearm License Withdrawal: Unraveling the Circumstances
The statute specifies when and how the Chief Firearms Licensing Officer may revoke a license.
The law states that a firearms license may be canceled or revoked by the Chief Licensing Officer if he is satisfied that the holder is prohibited by or under the Firearms Act from possessing the firearm to which the firearm certificate pertains, or is of intemperate habits or unsound mind, or is otherwise unfit to be entrusted with a firearm.
The license may also be revoked if the holder does not comply with a subparagraph five notice requiring the delivery of the firearm certificate.
In addition, a licensing officer must issue a written notice whenever he revokes a firearm certificate, as required by law.
If the holder does not surrender the firearm certificate within fourteen days of the notice, he will be culpable of an offense and subject to a fine of up to one thousand shillings.
This is in response to the government’s demand that the Kenyatta family surrender 28 licensed firearms.
They are all legally licensed and owned.
The family may choose to surrender the firearms to the Industrial Area’s Chief Firearms Licensing Officer or any licensed firearms dealer.
If the family decides to lodge the firearms with a dealer, they must provide the Chief Firearms Licensing Officer with a receipt indicating where the firearms were deposited.
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The government demands that the family of former President Uhuru Kenyatta turn over all firearms in their possession.
The family must turn over 28 firearms registered to them to the Firearm Licensing Board in Nairobi.
A counsel for the family stated that the police order to surrender the firearms was verbal, contrary to the legal requirement that it be in writing.
“The directive was verbal. “We are eager to meet with the Chief Firearms Licensing Officer on Monday and answer all of their questions,” the attorney said on Friday.
A police officer from the Operation Support Unit went to the residence of Jomo, the son of Uhuru, and informed the family that Yakub Rashid, the chairman of the Firearm Licensing Board, had ordered them to surrender the 28 firearms they own.
The officers arrived in three vehicles, one of which had foreign license plates, and spoke with a security guard and a housegirl delivering the message.
As Uhuru approached the house, they hurriedly departed.
Uhuru pledged to defend his family against any government assault, claiming that they had withdrawn their protection.
He defied the government to confront him directly instead of targeting his family.
“Don’t make plans to harm my mother. Plan nothing against my offspring. They intend to confiscate their armaments. If they have illicit weapons, say so,” he said.
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He stated that the weapons are held legally and that he is unaware of the government’s intentions for him and his family.
“They followed the proper procedures to acquire the firearms. How many individuals, including foreigners, have access to such weapons? A furious Uhuru asked.
The former president urged the government to resolve any political differences with him alone, rather than involving his close relatives.
“My only request is that you do not intend to harm my mother or my children. Plan for me if it is I that you desire. He stated, “What do they have to do with anything?”
Uhuru added that many individuals in Kenya, including expatriates, are licensed to carry weapons and acquire them through the proper channels.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki announced on Friday that 23 firearms were recovered from three homes in Nairobi’s Karen neighborhood as a result of an operation initiated after it was determined that weapons used during protests were supplied by civilian gun owners.
“This afternoon, an operation targeting three homesteads in the Karen region containing a total of 23 firearms, some of which are believed to have been used in illegal activities, has been underway,” he explained.
Firearm License Withdrawal: Unraveling the Circumstances
