What is the legality of owning a firearm?

Swala Nyeti: Layman and Lawyer Discuss Legal Questions

In today’s episode, we discuss the legalities of owning a firearm following the recent story of Juma Mohamed Motha who was accused of failing to secure the pistol contrary to the Firearms Act at his home in Lavington on March 4, 2020 along with other charges.

A city resident has been charged with failure to secure a firearm after police officers who accompanied auctioneers on a recovery mission found a pistol in his home. Juma Mohamed Motha was accused of negligently and without reasonable cause, failing to secure the pistol contrary to the Firearms Act at his home in Lavington on March 4, 2020. Motha was also charged with unlawful possession of a firearm because police allegedly found an air gun inside his house, which he did not have a license to hold.

During an investigation, police wrote to the Firearms Licensing Board to authenticate the firearm licensing certificate for the firearms he held, and it was found to be genuine. However, he only had a license for the pistol, but he reportedly told the police officers that he had inherited the air gun from his late grandfather. He was also charged with being in possession of a firearm imitation after he was found with a plastic AK47 rifle.

The guns were allegedly found in some of the drawers in his house as auctioneers executed a court order in relation to a debt of slightly over Sh1 million he owed a businessman. Motha denied all the charges to the law courts. He was freed on a Sh100,000 bond with a surety of a similar amount and an alternative cash bail of Sh100,000.

The case will be mentioned later this month when the court will set the hearing dates.

Research by Joy Mutimba-Vetil ([e-mail])

Link to the story: https://nairobinews.nation.co.ke/general/city-man-charged-with-failure-to-secure-pistol-in-his-house

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/swalanyeti/message