Kenyatta family firearms saga: Board denies revoking licences

The Firearms Licensing Board has denied allegations that it was seeking to revoke the firearms licences of former President Uhuru Kenyatta's sons.

Responding to a case filed by Mr Kenyatta's sons Jomo and Jaba in the High Court on Wednesday afternoon, the board said the case was based on speculation and that it had not revoked any licences.

The sons, through Senior Counsel Fred Ngatia, had sought the court's intervention to protect them from what they described as illegal actions by the Firearms Board.

"The application is premature and should be struck out," he said.

The Attorney General has also applied to be struck out of the case on the grounds that no orders are being sought against him.

The case was listed for hearing on Wednesday but did not start. Some of the parties said they were yet to file their papers for the matter to be determined.

Justice Jairus Ngaah gave the parties ten days to file their responses before a decision can be made. He extended the orders restraining the State from revoking Mr Kenyatta's licence before the scheduled mention date of 11 October 2023 for further directions.

Mr Kenyatta, in his case file in July this year, asked the court to intervene and stop the state from revoking his firearms licence "without following the due process set out in the Firearms Act".

He said that when officers visited his home on July 21 to ask him to surrender his firearms, no reasons were given.

"When I inquired as to the reasons, if any, that led to the sudden demand for my firearms, the authorities feigned ignorance," Mr Kenyatta said.

He said he was concerned about the strong-arm tactics that might be used, which is why he is asking the court to intervene.

"The grounds on which a firearms licence may be revoked are set out in Section 5(7) of the Firearms Act, which when read with Section 7(2)(a)(v) of the Fair Administrative Action Act, cannot be invoked without an opportunity to be heard," Mr Kenyatta said.

According to court documents, the younger Kenyatta's licence is valid until 27 April 2024.

The move to disarm Mr Kenyatta followed an announcement by Interior CS Kithure Kindiki on July 25 that 23 firearms had been recovered from three houses in Karen, Nairobi, following an operation launched after it was established that weapons used during demonstrations had been supplied by civilian gun owners.

Mr Kenyatta said he had complied with all regulations since receiving the firearms.