m

m

Small arms refer to the weapons that a single

individual can carry and operate. They may include
revolvers, self-loading pistols, rifles, carbines,
assault rifles, submachine guns, light machine guns
and associated ammunition.

Illegal firearms pose a major threat to public safety

throughout central and east Africa, encouraging
crime fuelling and prolonging conflict.
Ú

jillions of lives have already been lost in the

region, and the supply of arms to both
governments and rebel groups continues to grow.
Ú jost regional countries are affected due to;
Ú Conflicts
Ú Armed banditry
Ú Political instability
Ú Civil wars
Ú Conflicts between nations
Ú Cattle rustling
Ú Armed millitia groups
Ú Terrorism
Ú Lawlessness
Ú 6




 

;
Ú Ethiopia
Ú Cameroon
Ú Central African republic
Ú Democratic republic of congo
Ú Kenya
Ú Uganda
Ú Djibouti
Ú Somalia
Ú Eritrea
Ú Ethiopia
Ú Mwanda
Ú Sudan
Ú Tanzania
Ú Porous boarders with politically unstable countries
Ú Ineffective and not properly manned boarders
Ú Poor and corrupt policing of boarders
Ú National raw not adequately enforced
Ú Livestock keeping by the pastoralists
Ú Cultural obligations e.g pokots
Ú Deterioration of security
Ú Poor living conditions
Ú Lack of education
Ú Lack of civilization
Ú Conflicts between communities
Ú Small arms are seized or stolen from government
forces, looted from state armories, purchased from
corrupt soldiers .
Ú peacekeepers are occasionally relieved of their small
arms, which often end up in rebel arsenals. The
ambush of Guinean peacekeepers in January 2000,
for example, netted Sierra Leonean rebels more than
550 weapons, including assault rifles, machineguns,
rocket-propelled grenades and two tons of ammunition
stolen from private owners.
Ú Mebels and other armed groups are another
major source of illicit small arms

Ú Governments and armed groups in neighboring

states are also significant sources of illicit small
arms. jany civil conflicts in Africa quickly
transforming to regional wars as neighboring
governments provide material support to one or
more of the parties to the conflict
Ú The unstable states in the Horn of Africa are one of
the principal sources of small arms and lights
weapons
Ú Since independence from Britain in 1962, Uganda has
witnessed seven military coups, the last one in 1986,
when the current head of state, President Yoweri
Kaguta juseveni, took over power. Invariably, when
one government loses control and the new
government assumes control of the state, soldiers ±
sometimes comprising full units and battalions ± flee
with their weapons to wage civil war against the coup
victors
Ú The SPLA rebels received arms from sympathetic
governments like Uganda. They also raided
government armouries and purchased weapons
from disgruntled government soldiers.
Unfortunately rebel movements do not have
mechanisms for tracking and monitoring how arms
are used, so many can end up in wrong hands
Ú ëther sources of weapons entering Kenya include
arms destined for neighbouring countries which are
diverted, arms used for drug trafficking to and from
southern Africa, and arms entering with refugees. In
some instances, arms are stolen from police stations,
from murdered police officers, or from civilians who
have gun licenses.
Ú ºoot or trucks
Ú Along rivers and coasts
Ú Dhows
Ú Aircrafts
Ú Enactment of firearms act of Kenya
Ú Community policing initiative
Ú Destruction of illegal arms
Ú ºormation of East African Police Chiefs ërganisation
Ú Disarmament
Ú Kenya is a signatory to the Nairobi Protocol for
Prevention, Control and Meduction of Small Arms and
Light Weapons in the Great Lakes Megion and the
Horn of Africa, which was adopted in 2004 and
entered into force on 5 jay 2006
Ú Introduction of national action plan
Ú ºormation of the Ethiopia-Kenya Joint Border
Administration Commission in 2006
Ú In addition, Kenya has entered into a cooperation
pact, courtesy of the East Africa Community, with
member states (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania,
Mwanda and Burundi) and this has improved
border security particularly with Tanzania and
Uganda.
Ú Strengthening national legislation and controls for
the possession, use and transfer of small arms
and light weapons
Ú Ensuring that weapons holding by defense and
security forces do not exceed requirements for
legitimate defense and security needs
Ú Developing partnerships to assist and strengthen
the capacity of countries in regions of conflict to
monitor and control arms accumulations and
flows.
Ú Combating motor vehicle thefts, drug trafficking,
firearms smuggling, diamond smuggling and other
related crimes
Ú A call for immediate action on governmental and non-
governmental bodies to take coordinated action at
national, regional and international levels to
encourage efforts in:
Ú Concrete measures on human security and
development
Ú jeasures to address the widespread availability,
transfer and use of light weapons
Ú The ºirst Committee (Disarmament and
International Security) began to meet during the
53rd session of the United Nations General
Assembly. The second draft resolution discussed
the holding of an international conference on the
illicit arms trade by the year 2001in New York.
Ú Article 41 of the UN Charter gives the Security
Council the right to call upon member states to
apply measures short of the use of armed force to
maintain or restore international peace and
security
Ú The Security Council has imposed sanctions 15
times in the past 35 years (first in 1965 against
Mhodesia), levying 13 embargoes in the 1990s
alone
Ú In December 2000, the Security Council passed
Mesolution 1333, demanding that the Taliban
comply with the 1999 resolution
Ú Meview the ºirearms Act of Kenya and other
existing laws and provide stiffer penalties for
illegal owners of fire arms;

Ú Improve data collection and small arms profiling;

Ú Destroy all weapons collected

Ú Increase public awareness through newly
launched community policing initiative on the
dangers of small arms;
Ú Improve terms and conditions of law enforcement
as incentive and morale boosters in dealing with
illegal arms;
Ú Initiate joint border patrols with the neighbouring
countries
Ú Utilize the expertise of international law
enforcement agencies such as Interpol.
Ú Expand foreign aid programmes that target the
illicit arms trade;
Ú Crack down on violations of UN arms embargoes;
Ú Strengthen national arms control legislation;
Ú Address the factors that fuel the illicit small arms
economy;
Ú It is a fact that Kenya suffers from small arms
proliferation

Ú In rural areas, as indicated earlier, these reasons

include communal security, interethnic rivalries,
and struggles over scarce resources and the
requirements of warrior cultures. And in the cities,
they include poverty and unemployment
Ú There is no agreed definition of small arms and
light weapons. Small arm is a term of art used
by armed forces to denote infantry weapons an
individual soldier may carry
Ú Small arms proliferation is a term used by
organizations and individuals advocating the
control of small arms and their trade
Ú organizations use the term particularly in arguing
for weapons restriction of small arms sales to
private citizens in conflict zones. These
organizations argue that restricting the number of
small arms in a conflict zone will reduce the
number of deaths.
-END-