Detectives are investigating the circumstances under which a man accused of shooting two police officers and a waitress at a popular city club was licensed to possess a firearm.
Mr Dickson Mararo, 25, is the prime suspect behind the incident at Quiver Lounge last week that left many questions.
Though the legal age of acquiring a firearm is 21, police say Mr Mararo is still “too young to own a weapon”, adding that the need “must have been informed by a compelling need”.
Detectives on Monday recovered a Glock semi-automatic pistol and 38 rounds of 9mm ammunition from the suspect when he surrendered to the serious crimes unit accompanied by his lawyer, Mr Cliff Ombetta.
As detectives continue to investigate what pushed him to fire at the officers and the waitress, the incident adds to the increasing cases of guns in civilian hands.
Last year, Embakasi East MP Babu Owino shot and injured Mr Felix Orinda, popularly known as DJ Evolve, at B Club in Kilimani in a fit of rage.
According to multiple sources, while many Kenyans apply to own firearms for valid security reasons, most young applicants mishandle them by flashing them out in public to appease women or to cause fear.
“These are mainly those below 40. They forget that the more people know that one is armed, the more they become a target,” a detective told the Nation.
Detectives have also questioned why Mr Mararo failed to report the incident to the nearest police station as required of a licensed gun holder.
CCTV footage obtained from the club shows Mr Mararo approaching Constable Festus Musyoka attached to the Starehe Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) office, Constable Lawrence Muturi of the Kasarani crime desk and Ms Felistas Nzisa, a waitress.
Mr Mararo is later seen chatting with the officers before drawing his gun and fleeing in the opposite direction.
Mr Musyoka was shot on the neck, Mr Muturi on the hand while Ms Nzisa in the abdomen.
Mr Muturi and Ms Nzisa have since been discharged from hospital. Mr Musyoka is still admitted at the Nairobi Hospital in critical condition.
Kasarani sub-county police commander Peter Mwanzo refuted claims that one of the officers had succumbed to injuries.
“Those claims are not true,” he told Nation yesterday.
Detectives were on Wednesday allowed to detain Mr Mararo for seven days at Muthaiga police station as investigations into the case continue.
