The government lost at least 42 firearms and 107 rounds of ammunition between January 2024 and June 2026 across the country, according to a report tabled in Parliament.
The guns were lost across the country, mainly through attacks on police installations and ambushes on officers.
Of these, 30 firearms have since been recovered, leaving 12 firearms and 75 rounds of ammunition unaccounted for and posing a continuing risk to public safety and law enforcement.
Rift Valley, Central and Eastern regions account for the highest incidence of loss, largely attributable to attacks on police posts and ambushes on officers in those areas.
“These incidents underscore the urgency of enhancing the current accountability framework,” reads the submission by Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja before the National Assembly Public Petitions committee
In the event of a stolen or lost firearm, the Service currently relies on a manual process involving incident reporting, mobilization of search teams and circulation of firearm particulars within the Service and to other law enforcement agencies.
The committee now wants the Inspector General of Police to present to parliament a policy framework required for the setting up of the digital system and budgetary requirements in the 2027/28 Financial year.
This picture taken on April 20, 2021 shows one of the guns surrendered to DCI by Citizen TV after they aired an investigative story title 'Guns Galore'
Photo credit: Dennis Onsongo | Nation Media Group
The digital tracking system of firearms will instantly notify the police in case guns land in the hands of civilians.
If successfully set up, Kenya will be following in the footsteps of the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia and Canada.
The Kenyan system will include biometric-controlled smart armories, encrypted real-time tracking and alert mechanisms, safeguards for operational confidentiality, dedicated budgetary support and statutory protections to ensure officers are not unfairly held liable for systemic technological failures.
Currently, in the event of a stolen or lost firearm, the National Police Service (NPS) relies on a manual process involving incident reporting, mobilization of search teams and circulation of firearm particulars within the Service and to other law enforcement agencies.
In the current system, there is also no mandatory nationwide encrypted automated alert system that instantly notifies command structures of irregular firearm movement, thereby delaying rapid response and recovery efforts.
Movement of firearms within the Service is currently monitored manually through the following authorized documents, registers and ledgers Issue and receipt vouchers used to issue and receive firearms to and from Units and Sub-Counties at the Service Central Arms Stores.
Ledgers maintained at Police Headquarters, recording all arms issued to each Unit or Sub- County, with date, place, and voucher number.
Firearm Registers maintained at all Unit and Sub- County Police Headquarters for accountability of firearms holdings. Arms movement book - kept in the armory for issuing firearms to officers proceeding on duty, recording the firearm description, the officer's particulars and signature.
The setting up of the National Police firearms digital detection and tracking system follows a petition from Emmanuel Ojow.
The petitioner was concerned that several security incidents, including attack on police posts and stations in some parts of the country where officers were reportedly ambushed and firearms forcefully taken, has exposed vulnerabilities in current firearm storage, monitoring and rapid response systems.
The petitioner observed that firearm issuance and armory management systems in many police stations remain largely manual and lack immediate electronic detection mechanisms capable of flagging unauthorized removal or tampering in real time.
Mr Ojow called on the National Assembly intervenes to amend the National Police Service Act and related legislation to establish a secure national digital firearms detection and tracking system within the National Police Service, including biometric-controlled smart armories, encrypted real-time tracking and alert mechanisms, safeguards for operational confidentiality, dedicated budgetary support and statutory protections to ensure officers are not unfairly held liable for systemic technological failures.
