Uhuru's Son Jomo Kenyatta Goes After Govt

The Wednesday, July 26 move comes days after an attempted raid at his home in Karen in search of guns.

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Jul 26, 2023 - 12:15 Updated: Jul 26, 2023 - 13:17
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Uhuru's Son Jomo Kenyatta Goes After Govt
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta (left) and his son Jomo at a Kenya Railways event. /PSCU

UPDATE: The High Court has barred the State from revoking former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s son John Jomo’s gun licence. The ruling was made by Justice Jarius Ngaah who said that the case will be heard through written submissions.

Jomo will file his submissions within seven days and the respondents within seven days of service. The matter will proceed on September 27, 2023.

Former President Uhuru Kenyatta's son, Jomo Kenyatta has moved to court challenging the government's decision to revoke his firearm license.

The Wednesday, July 26 move to file a suit at the Milimani Law Courts comes days after an attempted raid at his home in Karen in search of guns.

Multiple reports indicated that Jomo filed a suit at the Nairobi court aggrieved by the State's move to revoke his license, arguing that it is valid until April 2024.

Jomo wants the court to order the Firearms Licensing Board and the Attorney General barred from demanding his license without following the due process set out in the Firearms Act.

Former President Uhuru Kenyatta addressing the media outside his eldest son's home in Karen on July 21, 2023. /VIRALTEAKE

What Is The Firearms Act?

The Firearms Act indicates that a firearm certificate may be revoked only by a licensing officer if the law prohibits the holder from possessing a firearm to which the firearm certificate relates, or is of intemperate habits or unsound mind, or is otherwise unfit to be entrusted with a firearm.

It also provides other grounds in the event the holder fails to comply with a notice requiring them to deliver the firearm certificate.

"In any case where a firearm certificate is revoked by a licensing officer, he shall by notice in writing require the holder to surrender the firearm certificate, and if the holder fails to do so within fourteen days from the date of the notice he shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding one thousand shillings.

"Provided that, where an appeal is brought against the revocation, this subsection shall not apply to that revocation unless the appeal is abandoned or dismissed, and shall, in that case, have effect as if for the reference to the date of the notice there were substituted a reference to the date on which the appeal was abandoned or dismissed," reads Section 5 (8) of the Act.

During a meeting with news editors on Monday, July 24, Uhuru claimed that there was a plot to plant guns and drugs at the home of Jomo through the police raid that occurred on Friday, July 21.

He claimed that the alleged cache of guns allegedly held by his two sons, Jomo and Muhoho was an attempt by propagandists to divert the public attention from more important issues.

"This gun issue is surrounded by lots of propaganda to divert attention from what has been happening," he told the senior journalists.

"I believe they wanted to plant drugs and guns in my son's compound."

He further claimed that his sons own six guns in total, three each, and that all of the firearms are legally registered, with his only daughter, Ngina Kenyatta, being the only one without a weapon.

Uhuru added that his two sons were forced to apply to receive the weapons after their security was withdrawn immediately after President William Ruto’s government took office in 2022.

“My son Jomo has never been interested in weapons. He was forced to apply for a gun after his security was withdrawn,” he told the Nation.

Muhoho on his part was revealed to have had an interest in guns due to his hobby of shooting birds in the Mwea Irrigation Scheme.

According to the former President, none of the boys received orders to surrender their firearms as was claimed in the media and by top government officials.

The former head of state's brother, son and their four other close associates were ordered to surrender 28 weapons registered in their names to the Firearm Licensing Board in Nairobi by Monday, according to reports that surfaced on Sunday, July 24.

The state reportedly indicated that it wanted the family's 28 firearms for ballistic examinations to determine whether the firearms were used during the three-day Azimio la Umoja mass protests.

On Friday, July 21, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki confirmed that police officers raided Jomo's home amongst three homesteads within the Karen area where a total of 23 firearms, some of which are suspected to have been used in illegal activities were kept.

Interior CS, Kithure Kindiki appears before the Senate Ad Hoc Committee to investigate the proliferation of religious organisations and the circumstances leading to the deaths in Shakahola, Kilifi County on July 11, 2023. /KITHURE KINDIKI

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