A new chairperson of the Firearms Licensing Board was Wednesday named in new changes announced by interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki.

Kindiki appointed former Nairobi Regional Police Commander Rashid Yakub as the chairman from February 1.

He in a special gazzete notice revoked the appointment of Charles Mukindia as the chairman with immediate effect.

This means Mukindia will go back to his former station at the National Intelligence Service.

He has been the chairman of the board since November 2018 during which he introduced a number of reforms in the area.

Yakub also served as the director of operations at Kenya Police headquarters, Vigilance House up to December 2022 when he was moved to community policing Directorate.

The board is mandated to establish a digital registry of licensed firearm holders who shall be required to apply for new certificates annually.

The membership of the Firearms Board includes two representatives from the National Police Service, one from the State Law Office, the Kenya Wildlife Service, National Intelligence Service, and the National Focal Point on illicit arms.

The Firearms Act (2015) also provides for a secretariat that aides the board in the discharge of its mandate.

The Act tasks the board with certifying suitability of applications and reassessing proficiency of firearm holders.

The board keeps a centralized record management system of a firearm, holders, dealers and manufacturers.

The law says the Board shall be appointed by the Cabinet Secretary and shall consist of a Chairman and the other representatives.

“The persons serving as licensing officers immediately before the commencement of this section shall be deemed to be officers of the Secretariat to certify suitability of applicants and periodically assess proficiency of firearms holders and issue, cancel, terminate or vary any licence or permit issued under this Act,” says the law.

The secretariat shall also register civilian firearm holders, dealers and manufactures of firearms under the Act, register, supervise, and control all shooting ranges that are registered under the law, establish, maintain and monitor a centralised record management system and perform such other functions as the Cabinet Secretary may prescribe from time to time.

The law says no person shall manufacture, assemble, purchase, acquire or have in his possession an armoured vehicle unless he holds a certificate of approval issued.

Those found with illegal weapons are liable to imprisonment for a term of not less than seven years and not more than 15 years.Gun holders usually go through rigorous process before they are issued with such a weapon.

Before one is allowed to own a gun, he or she is supposed to apply through an OCS who forwards to the OCPD who convenes a meeting of the district intelligence and security officers for review before it is sent to the county commanders for approval.

There are about 11,000 licensed gun holders in the country.