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Kenya pursues
By Correspondent
10th December 2009
Kenyan police are pursuing hints that a huge cache of weapons seized by officers on Tuesday could have been destined for Tanzania.
Police sources said here yesterday that they would involve their Tanzanian counterparts in investigating the matter.
Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere described the arsenal as the largest ever consignment of weapons found in civilian hands in Kenyan history, adding that it includes 100,000 bullets and six guns.
An assortment of military supplies was also seized from a businessmans house in Narok, he explained.
Narok businessman Munir Ishmael (35) and his wife are reported to be in custody for questioning over the arms, which included ammunition clearly marked as having been manufactured by the Kenya Ordnance Factory in Eldoret and the Ministry of Defence (British Army).
When reached for comment, Inspector General of Police Said Mwema said their Kenyan counterparts had not communicated with his department on the matter.
We shall communicate with them and let you know about the outcome later, he said in a brief telephone interview yesterday evening.
Most of the ammunition bullets recovered were meant for .38mm, .22mm, 306 mm and 7.62mm-calibre guns. Two pistols and four rifles were also seized from the suspects house. Some of the rifles had telescopic sights, favoured by army snipers and assassins.
The .38mm and .22 mm-calibre bullets are commonly used in pistols, while 306 mm ones are shells for shotguns and the 7.62 mm ones are suitable for automatic rifles like AK-47s and G-3s.
An undisclosed amount of money was also impounded, as were military machetes, military backpacks, shooting range ear plugs, military sleeping bags, foldable camping beds, solar batteries, heavy duty vehicle batteries, 70 water containers, tyres, solar camp showers, Land Rover spare parts, target practising points, military boots, knives, lubricants, and NATO-approved military food rations.
Iteere said the bullets were enough to serve a large city police station like Nairobi Area for up to 20 months, adding that such a huge amount of ammunition could only be found in a police armoury.
Investigators are understood to be following up tip-offs from public informers suggesting that the bullets were destined for Tanzania.
The arsenal was discovered in a Monday night operation by the Special Crime Prevention Unit comprising regular and Administration Police officers. Assistant Commissioner of Police Richard Katola led the mission.
The police commissioner said it was three weeks of police investigations that led to the discovery of the weapons.
Police acting on a tip-off raided a residence in Narok and recovered 80,000 rounds of assorted ammunition, six firearms, and assorted weaponry. This is an amazing cache, he said.
It is the first such recovery in the history of Kenya and is thanks to the commendable cooperation between police and the public. This (suspect) is an individual but we are trying to expose the syndicate, he said.
The bullets were similar to those used by the Kenya Police, and Iteere promised that investigators would soon establish their source and where they were being taken.
The information we have is that some of the ammunition was destined for Tanzania. But some of it looks like what is used by the security forces in Kenya, he noted.
The discovery is likely to cause concern, coming as it does only three months after a BBC investigative report to the effect that groups in the Rift Valley were buying guns in preparation for Kenyas 2012 election.
Narok town residents expressed shock and disbelief at the sheer amount of the weapons found in their community, many saying they knew Ishmael as a humble businessman.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
Tanzania link to illegal armsBy Correspondent
10th December 2009
Kenyan police are pursuing hints that a huge cache of weapons seized by officers on Tuesday could have been destined for Tanzania.
Police sources said here yesterday that they would involve their Tanzanian counterparts in investigating the matter.
Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere described the arsenal as the largest ever consignment of weapons found in civilian hands in Kenyan history, adding that it includes 100,000 bullets and six guns.
An assortment of military supplies was also seized from a businessmans house in Narok, he explained.
Narok businessman Munir Ishmael (35) and his wife are reported to be in custody for questioning over the arms, which included ammunition clearly marked as having been manufactured by the Kenya Ordnance Factory in Eldoret and the Ministry of Defence (British Army).
When reached for comment, Inspector General of Police Said Mwema said their Kenyan counterparts had not communicated with his department on the matter.
We shall communicate with them and let you know about the outcome later, he said in a brief telephone interview yesterday evening.
Most of the ammunition bullets recovered were meant for .38mm, .22mm, 306 mm and 7.62mm-calibre guns. Two pistols and four rifles were also seized from the suspects house. Some of the rifles had telescopic sights, favoured by army snipers and assassins.
The .38mm and .22 mm-calibre bullets are commonly used in pistols, while 306 mm ones are shells for shotguns and the 7.62 mm ones are suitable for automatic rifles like AK-47s and G-3s.
An undisclosed amount of money was also impounded, as were military machetes, military backpacks, shooting range ear plugs, military sleeping bags, foldable camping beds, solar batteries, heavy duty vehicle batteries, 70 water containers, tyres, solar camp showers, Land Rover spare parts, target practising points, military boots, knives, lubricants, and NATO-approved military food rations.
Iteere said the bullets were enough to serve a large city police station like Nairobi Area for up to 20 months, adding that such a huge amount of ammunition could only be found in a police armoury.
Investigators are understood to be following up tip-offs from public informers suggesting that the bullets were destined for Tanzania.
The arsenal was discovered in a Monday night operation by the Special Crime Prevention Unit comprising regular and Administration Police officers. Assistant Commissioner of Police Richard Katola led the mission.
The police commissioner said it was three weeks of police investigations that led to the discovery of the weapons.
Police acting on a tip-off raided a residence in Narok and recovered 80,000 rounds of assorted ammunition, six firearms, and assorted weaponry. This is an amazing cache, he said.
It is the first such recovery in the history of Kenya and is thanks to the commendable cooperation between police and the public. This (suspect) is an individual but we are trying to expose the syndicate, he said.
The bullets were similar to those used by the Kenya Police, and Iteere promised that investigators would soon establish their source and where they were being taken.
The information we have is that some of the ammunition was destined for Tanzania. But some of it looks like what is used by the security forces in Kenya, he noted.
The discovery is likely to cause concern, coming as it does only three months after a BBC investigative report to the effect that groups in the Rift Valley were buying guns in preparation for Kenyas 2012 election.
Narok town residents expressed shock and disbelief at the sheer amount of the weapons found in their community, many saying they knew Ishmael as a humble businessman.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
