Gun owners will have to undergo a medical examination for you to own a firearm license. – By Gerald Gekara.
This is according to a firearms examiner, who is petitioning Parliament to amend the Firearms Act, Cap 114 to include the mental check requirements.
Machanga Mareko, a psychiatrist and a firearms examiner at Kenyatta National Hospital said legal loopholes in the firearms Act have contributed to irregular issuance of the firearm licenses.
“Lack of provisions requiring all applicants for firearm licences to undergo a mandatory mental examination as a precondition for the issuance of a firearm certificate might be a precursor to some incidents of misuse of firearms by some licensed holders,” Speaker Justin Muturi told MPs.
In the recent years, several leaders and VIPs have been guilty of firearm misuse, including elected members of parliament.
Babu Owino was captured shooting a Nairobi based deejay Evolve during an altercation in a club.
The incident attracted widespread condemnation despite the legislator being out on bond.
