With many more firearms in the hands of civilians, shooting incidents have become rampant in recent days.
The most recent one is the shooting of three people at the popular Quiver Lounge along Thika Road on Friday last week.
A 25-year-old man identified as Dickson Njanja Mararo shot Constable Festus Musyoka attached to the Starehe Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) office, Constable Lawrence Muturi of the Kasarani crime desk and Felistas Nzisa, a waitress.
Read: Police To Hold Suspect in Quiver Lounge Shooting Dickson Mararo for 7 Days
CCTV footage showed the prime suspect chatting briefly with the two officers before firing at the three and then taking off in the opposite direction.
Musyoka was shot in the neck, Muturi on the hand and Nzisa in the abdomen. Musyoka is still in critical condition at the Nairobi Hospital while the others are recuperating at home.
While one can legally own a gun at the age of 21, detectives maintain Mararo is still too young to own a firearm.
Read Also: Police Seek to Hold Quiver Lounge Shooting Suspect for 14 Days
Police said Mararo, a businessman with interest in real estate was “too young to own a weapon”.
They noted that his need for a gun “must have been informed by a compelling need”.
When he surrendered on Monday in the company of criminal lawyer Cliff Ombetta, detectives recovered a Glock semi-automatic pistol and 38 rounds of 9mm ammunition.
Read Also: Suspect in Quiver Lounge Shooting Dickson Mararo Surrenders to DCI
A detective who spoke to the Nation said it is mainly youth under the age of 40 that go around waving their firearms.
“These are mainly those below 40. They forget that the more people know that one is armed, the more they become a target,” the sleuth told the daily.
Police are also probing why Mararo, a licensed gun owner did not report the incident as is required by law.While gun owners are required to be aged 21 and above, they should also be:
- trained in handling firearms.
- of sane mind/mentally stable.
- have a clean criminal record
Read Also: Police Intensify Search For Civilian who Allegedly Shot Two Officers Inside Quiver Lounge
Owning a gun is an expensive affair that costs from Sh100,000 to 350,000 depending on the type of gun.
According to the Firearms Act, civilians cannot be given firearms used by security organs such as AK-47, MP5 and G3.
Under the 2015 Statute Law (Miscellaneous Amendment) Bill, any civilian found with the aforementioned types of guns will face imprisonment.
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