The ongoing registration of illegally acquired firearms has received a major boost after six herders from Garissa County surrendered their unlicensed rifles to the government for registration by the relevant county security teams.
According to Garbatula police boss, Kioko Nyamai, the move is expected to expansively trigger a popular desire by other pastoralist groups to register their firearms and further dispel the fears of being disarmed or victimised.
The surrendering of the firearms by the pastoralists is in line with concerted calls by the Interior ministry to have all firearms in the wrong hands of civilians registered as a means of countering the ever escalating cases of insecurity.
Interior CS, Joseph Nkaissery had warned the pastoralist communities against purchasing new rifles stating that they risked being forcefully disarmed if the government ever finds small arms proliferation in the country is at its peak.
Nkaissery said that all herders who register their fire arms would be issued with licenses to legitimize their ownership and use.
To date, the number of illegal firearms that have been registered in the two since the start of the exercise has reached 29.