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Kenya reached out to Ethiopia, South Sudan and Somalia in a fresh bid to address the smuggling of small illegal firearms fueling conflict and crime in the region.
Speaking on Tuesday, March 7, Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo indicated that the government had contacted the three nations to step up the joint efforts against the proliferation of small arms and light weapons among border and nomadic communities.
He made the remarks during the opening ceremony of a conference geared towards, ‘Strengthening Cross Border Arms Control Cooperation by Countering Diversion and Enhancing Small Arms and Ammunition Field Identification and Tracing (SAAFIT), in Nairobi.
“Due to their easy availability and low cost, these are the weapons of choice for terrorists, insurgents, and criminal gangs in the Great Lakes Region and the Horn of Africa,” Omollo stated.
Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo speaking on Tuesday, March 7, 2023.
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Raymond Omollo
In the new operation, PS Omollo revealed the government’s plan to establish a robust border control system, which will feature surveillance technology.
Besides setting up a robust system, Interpol pledged to aid the three countries with advanced communication systems used by police around the world to share alerts, data and intelligence on various security issues.
Among the illegal firearms earmarked by various agencies included Kalashnikov rifle (AK47), colt M16, H&K G3 rifle, PKM machinegun and RPG7.
“All these weapons have serial numbers and can be easily traced to manufacturers if governments were to take this menace seriously,” Eastern Africa Police Chiefs Cooperation Organization and Counter-Terrorism Centre of Excellence Deputy Director, Gideon Kibunjah stated.
PS Omollo welcomed the decision arguing that it was key to tackling banditry in the North Rift region. The PS lamented that the small firearms had enabled bandits to launch attacks targeting law enforcement officers.
“Those of us in the security sector can attest to the complexity of these criminals’ methods and the extension of their networks,” the PS stated.
“This move will help us conduct surveillance and respond to illegal crossing and movement of proscribed goods, including dangerous weapons,” he added.
The move came after the government engaged Uganda to tackle banditry in the North Rift region.
Officers from the Border Police Unit (BPU) patrolling the Kenya – Somalia border in August 2022.
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