Residents given more time to surrender guns

The Kenyan Government has extended the amnesty for North Rift residents to surrender firearms. Rift Valley provincial commissioner Asman Warfa on Friday asked them to take advantage of the decision to extend the amnesty and surrender illegally held arms.

He urged the communities not to wait for the government to use force. The PC also asked leaders in the affected regions of Samburu, Pokot, Baringo and Laikipia to encourage their people to voluntarily surrender guns.

Speaking at his office in Nakuru, the administrator said the government had decided to extend the amnesty, which was set to end on Wednesday, by 30 days. Following the expiry of the amnesty, some DCs were preparing to start forceful disarmament in the region.

According to Mr Warfa, people in the North Rift had surrendered 392 firearms and 973 rounds of ammunition in the past one month.

He said most of the arms were recovered in Samburu East (150 firearms and 317 rounds of ammunition), followed by Pokot East (144 guns), then Laikipia West (120 guns).

“The government will continue recovering illegally held arms in this region until it is sure that there are no more. We want to make Rift Valley a peaceful region and completely end cases of cattle rustling and general insecurity,” he said.

He conceded that there was a proliferation of illegal arms in the region but could not give the number. “We know that there were many illegal arms in this region but I cannot tell you how many they are,” he said.

“The entire North Rift has been calm with no incidents being reported but there were selected cases of cattle rustling,” he added. On illegal immigrants, the administrator said 220 foreigners had been arrested in different districts in Rift Valley.