Businessman Jimmy Wanjigi’s woes have escalated after Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) George Kinoti gave him 72 hours ultimatum to surrender ten firearms and 485 ammunition held illegally.
In an order released today, the agency directed that if the tycoon failed to surrender the weapons by Thursday, he would be placed under lawful custody.
The DCI said they knew of the weapons on January 17, 2022, while at his Kwacha offices in Westlands while conducting an investigation on a land matter in which he is a person of interest.
“The criminal investigation has established that you hold 10 firearms of different makes and descriptions which act in contravention of the law,” the letter reads in part.
Some of the firearms that Wanjigi is supposed to surrender include; a Glock, Ceska pistol, Shot gun, Glock 19, CQ and a Gilboa.
The DCI further said that Wanjigi had refused to appear before the Firearm Licensing Board for vetting on November 26 last year.
“On the 17th January 2022, while officers of this Directorate were conducting Investigations into a Land matter and in which you were a person of interest, they encountered an illegally armed person within the compound of Kwacha Group of Companies where you were holed up. The said person disclosed that you had armed him as your bodyguard,” the agency said.
It was later established that the person is an Ex-GSU officer attached to the elite Recce squad,” the letter reads.
The DCI also claims that the whereabouts of the firearms and the ammunition are unknown, warning that they could be in the hands of criminal gangs.
“The illegal holding of firearms and such massive amounts of ammunition particularly at a time of heightened political activity could be used to commit a myriad of offences,” The directorate said.
The Kinoti-led agency further argued that the illegal holding of firearms and ammunition particularly at “this time of heightened political activity could be used to commit a myriad of offences including but not limited to maiming and or killing of innocent persons or opponents.”
Section 4(1) of the Firearms Act, Cap 114 Laws of Kenya stipulates “If any person purchases, acquires or has in his possession any Firearm or Ammunition without holding a Firearm Certificate in Force at the time, or otherwise than as Authorized by a Certificate, or, in the case of Ammunition, in quantities in excess of those so authorized he shall, subject to this Act, be guilty of an Offence’.
Wanjigi has been embroiled in a court battle against Kinoti over the firearms he is alleged to have held on irregularly after his service where he worked as a police reservist.
The agency had been pursuing the tycoon since 2021 after they claimed that he possessed the guns secretly.
Activist Memba Ocharo had moved to court, through lawyer Danstan Omari, seeking to compel the DCI to recover the weapons from the city businessman.
“A judicial review order of mandamus does hereby issue compelling the Inspector General of Police and Director of Criminal Investigations to immediately arrest and take appropriate action against Wajingi for being in possession of illegal firearms and ammunition contrary to his firearms certificate,” argued Ocharo in his court papers.
The case was, however, thrown out of court in December 2021 on the basis that the petition did not meet the requisite threshold.
