The celebrations bring together delegations
from 15 Member States to commemorate two decades of coordinated efforts in
combating the proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons.
According to Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo, the
event began with a forum of technical experts who are reviewing progress,
challenges, and future priorities in arms control across the Great Lakes Region
and the Horn of Africa.
"We have a series of meetings that have begun, the government
experts from member states have been discussing several issues and following
up on several resolutions from the previous engagement,” Omollo stated.
The programme will continue with the meeting of the
Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), composed of Principal Secretaries from
Ministries of Interior across the Member States.
On Wednesday, President William Ruto is
expected to lead the destruction of recovered firearms, reaffirming Kenya’s
commitment to regional disarmament.
The anniversary celebrations will culminate in the 11th
Council of Ministers (COM) meeting, chaired by Kenya.
Omollo noted the challenges across the borders, noting that
they are still porous.
Insecurity, on the other hand, is being pushed by different criminal elements in the country, with a lot
of trade in small arms and light weapons taking place.
“From this forum, we expect to ban all the elements that have
been found from different parts of the country,” Omollo stated.
He further stated on the government’s efforts in seeking
alternative funding methods, which have also been a great challenge for RECSA to
sustain its operation across the region.
RECSA is an intergovernmental organization with the sole
mandate to build the capacity of Member States and coordinate the
implementation of the Nairobi Protocol on the Prevention, Control and Reduction
of Small Arms and Light Weapons in the Great Lakes Region, the Horn of Africa and
Bordering States.
RECSA was established
in June 2005 by the 3rd Ministerial Review Conference.
