• Board chairman Charles Mukinda said they are scheduling applicants appearing before them daily to undergo checks before the permits are renewed.
• The board reopened on February 2.
The Firearms Licensing Board has resumed renewing licenses for civilian gun holders, almost a year after the process was halted due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
Board chairman Charles Mukinda said they are scheduling applicants appearing before them daily to undergo checks before the permits are renewed. The board reopened on February 2.
Licensed firearms holders have welcomed the resumption of services at the board.
“They have put mechanisms in place to enhance the process for those going for the exercise. It may take time to finish the process but it is good for the safety of all,” said a civilian firearm holder.
Many dealers and the civilian holders operated with 'illegal' weapons due to the closure of the board's operations.
In the meantime, the board asked police commanders not to take any action against the licensed firearms holders whose licenses had expired. The licences are renewed annually.
The failure to renew the documents has also affected gun dealers, denying the government a huge amount of revenue.
Former National Gun Owners Association chairman Anthony Wahome called for the digitisation of the process using the e-citizen platform. His suggestion does not reflect the stand of the association, Wahome said.
“I ceased being the chairman of the association but we will continue to support the board where we can to offer better services,” he said.
Other than the licences, the board is working towards establishing a centralised electronic register of all private citizens holding firearms.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i in December 2018 announced the vetting of the civilian firearms holders following a spike in fake certificates. Some of the holders were misusing the weapons.
The vetting involves a psychiatric assessment by a government psychologist, criminal record checks and ballistic testing of the weapons and ammunition by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.