Presidential aspirant Jimi Wanjigi. He has up to tomorrow, February 23 to surrender 11 illegal firearms and 485 ammunition in his possession.
|DCI goes after Wanjigi’s guns
Presidential aspirant Jimi Wanjigi has up to Wednesday to surrender 11 illegal firearms and 485 ammunition in his possession, failure to which he will be prosecuted for their illegal possession.
The firearms include two Ceska pistols, three Glock guns, a CQ, and a Gilboa rifle, among others, all of which have been demanded by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) over fears that they could be used to commit multiple offences, including killing and maiming civilians and political opponents, particularly in this heated campaign period.
Of particular interest to the DCI is a Glock URT 735, whose source Mr Wanjigi is asked to explain in the letter summoning the businessman to give up the weapons.
“This criminal investigation has established that you hold 10 firearms of different makes and description which act of possession is in contravention of the law,” the letter reads in part.
Detectives believe that Mr Wanjigi’s continued possession of the weapons poses a high risk to Kenyans and could be an indicator of a larger scheme to use the weapons for ulterior motives.
“As a matter of national security, you are required to surrender the firearms and ammunition held by yourself as you do not hold any firearm certificate.
“The firearms and ammunition whereabouts are unknown and could be in the hands of criminal gangs as demonstrated by the arming of ex-GSU officers inside the premises of a company you fully control,” the letter adds.
On January 17, detectives investigating Mr Wanjigi’s land fraud case at his Kwacha House offices in Westlands established that he had hired an ex-GSU officer previously attached to the elite Recce Unit and armed him as his bodyguard.
The Sh1.2 billion property that sits at the junction of Peponi and General Mathenge roads has been the subject of investigations by the DCI’s Land Fraud Unit following claims that he acquired it illegally.
“It was later established that the said person is one Joseph Onyiego Mogendi, an indication of a high level scheme that you have congregated highly trained persons in the use of firearms for ulterior motives,” says the letter summoning Mr Wanjigi to surrender the weapons.
Investigations by the DCI have established that Mr Wanjigi has on several occasions failed to honour summonses for vetting as required by the relevant agencies, which further puts his possession of the weapons into question.
They include Mr Wanjigi’s alleged failure to attend any of the mandatory vetting of civilian firearm holders announced by Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i on December 5, 2018.
Additionally, Mr Wanjigi failed to honour a summons to appear before the Firearms Licensing Board on November 26, last year, for further vetting.
Mr Wanjigi’s guns have been the subject of his protracted battle with DCI boss George Kinoti that saw the latter jailed for four months for being in contempt of court after failing to return another cache of weapons seized from the businessman’s home in 2017.
The weapons that were collected during an operation at the businessman’s house included; four Glock pistols, one Smith and Wesson pistol, a Mini Archer assault rifle fitted with a laser, an M4CQ assault rifle and 688 bullets, which were allegedly hidden in his kitchen’s ceiling.
Detectives revealed that some of the weapons that Mr Wanjigi has since been fighting in court to have back are prohibited among civilians.
