Trader to face new arms charges

A businessmen accused of illegal possession of ammunition is to face more charges. Mr Muneer Ismail was on Thursday charged in connection with 30,258 bullets that were found at his premises in Narok on February 1.

He had earlier been charged in connection with 100,000 bullets that were seized from his garage. But his lawyers opposed the latest charge, arguing that their client was in custody when the offence was alleged to have been committed.

Mr Pravin Bowry and Mr Cliff Ombeta said their client had only been released from custody to visit the scene in Narok on the day the additional bullets were found. The lawyers also said the media publicity around the second find was unfair to their client.

On February 1, chief magistrate Gilbert Mutembei had allowed Mr Ismail to accompany the investigating officers to Narok during the verification of the ammunition. But Mr Bowry said the incident attracted media attention. “The publicity is likely to interfere with the constitutional rights of the accused,” the lawyer said.

Mr Ismail is waiting for the court to decide whether to release him on bail. The prosecution has opposed the application, saying investigations were still going on and that he could interfere.

However, the defence lawyers have dismissed the arguments, saying they were based on speculation. The prosecution has indicated that it might consolidate the cases the man is facing so that they could be handled together. Mr Ismail is facing other charges of being in possession of government property.

In the earlier charges, the trader, his wife, Ms Nahid Tabasum, and Administration police chief armourer Joseph Maritim have been accused of having more than 100,000 rounds of ammunition.

The three were released on bail but Mr Ismail remained in custody due to the latest developments. Mr Mutembei is on Friday morning expected to rule on Mr Ismail’s bail application.