Review conditions under which MPs can use guns

Last Friday, Embakasi East Member of Parliament Babu Owino was arrested for allegedly shooting a disc jockey at the club.

The victim was shot in the neck.

Yet not for the first time, MPs have been in the news for engaging in gun dramas.

In 2017, then Mwingi Central MP Joe Mutambu accused colleague Ali Wario of threatening him with a gun.

In 2018, seven Kenyan MPs, also in a night club, engaged in altercations with Sudanese nationals and guns were drawn.

The protracted nature of arguments allowed the police to arrive in time and calm the situation before it got out of hand. Many MPs have proved to be of bad temperament, and therefore a danger to those around them because the law makers have been allowed to carry guns. In a few instances, there was gun drama right inside Parliament.  

In 2017, fisticuffs between MPs Babu Owino and Starehe’s Charles Njagua in Parliament led to Speaker Justin Muturi outlawing the carrying of weapons to the chambers.

These cases, among others, highlight clear misuse of firearms by carriers and calls for stringent controls in the licencing of guns.

Because MPs are given armed bodyguards by the State, providing them with personal firearms amounts to an overkill. Circumstances under which they can use their licenced firearms must be clearly defined.