Reports Leo Odera Omolo
The Kenya Action Network on Small Arms {Kansa} has raised the red alarm over the circulation of more than 600,000 illegal arms in the country.
The organization warns that terrorists and some illegal groups could use the arms during the forthcoming general elections in the country scheduled for March next year.
Kansa said this was discovered after a survey which was conducted last year jointly by the Kenya National Focal Point on small arms and the Geneva based Small Arms Survey.
The survey indicated that most of the 600,000 illicit arms are concentrated in pastoralist communities in the North Easter regions parts of Kenya as well as major urban centers such as the capital City, Nairobi, Mombasa where they are used in committing serious crimes.
These illicit weapons mainly comprise of assault rifles, hand guns and ammunition, which enter the market through corruption, seizure and loss.
“The Kenya situation is even more critical when one takes into account that this country is still smarting from the near self destruction crisis following the 2007 / 2008 post-election violence caused by the disputed presidential election violence and it stumbling towards yet another election without some of the major triggers that ignited the PEV having been addressed,” said Kansa in a statement released last Thursday.
The statement was read at a Nairobi hotel at a meeting held by Africa Peace Forum Executive Director Ochieng Adala to mark the Global week of action against proliferation of small arms in Kenya.
Amnesty International Kenya Country Director Justus Nyang’aya and the director of security Research Information Center Col {rtd} J.W.Kituku were also in attendance at the meeting.
Kansa said while some reforms highlighted under the Agenda Four of the National Accord are being addressed like the judiciary, electoral, and constitutional reforms, other critical area including historical injustices, such reforms, youth unemployment, corruption, and impunity armament remain unaddressed,” said Kana statement.
The organization said there are also fertile grounds for hate speech and incitement by politicians, Kansa noted that this was going on through intense political competition, polarization ethnic mobilization and the politics surrounding the on-going ICC cases.
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