Did you know that you could be holding a fake firearm certificate and at risk of being arrested and charged with unlawful possession of a firearm in contravention of the Firearm Licensing Act after getting the same from the licensing authorities?

Well, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) is investigating a case where a civilian employee of the National Police Service (NPS) is suspected of having illegally issued firearm certificates, cards and renewal receipts to unsuspecting civilians.

Malo Otsieno, who works at the police headquarters arms registry, has been arrested and later released on orders of the court after the DCI failed to prove to the court that he needed to detain him to conclude investigating a case of conspiracy to defraud contrary to section 317 of the Penal Code.

Corporal Kennedy Murunga of DCI’s Serious Crimes Unit (SCU) had sought orders at the Makadara law courts to detain Otsieno for 14 days to assist with the investigations.

He told Senior Resident Magistrate Wandia Nyamu that the time from the date of arrest (September 6, 2025) has not been enough to conclude the investigations.

Otsieno was arrested in Nairobi’s Eastlands area, and Cpl. Murunga said preliminary investigations have revealed that the suspect has been illegally issuing firearms licenses, a nd many guns could be in the wrong hands.

Cpl. Murunga told the court that investigations revealed that Otsieno had introduced himself as a police officer attached to the Firearms Licensing Board (FLB) and offered to assist the civilian renew her license at a fee.

“Based on the foregoing, the applicant (DCI) requires a further 14 days to complete the investigations and prays that the respondent (Otsieno) be detained at the Industrial Area Police station during this period,” stated Cpl. Murunga in the affidavit.

DCI is investigating the circumstances surrounding the issuance of firearms certificates discovered after a licensed civilian firearm holder went to the FLB to renew a fake licence, unknowingly.

She had gone to renew the same upon expiry, only to be told the receipts she held to prove payment of the renewal fee were not genuine, as they had anomalies.

The anomalies in the receipts were detected by a Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) officer at the FLB offices who had received them from the civilian renewing the license for her tourist service firm.

The suspect was, howeverr freed on a bondof Sh500,000.000 and an alternative cash bail of Sh200, 000 which his family paid and secured his freedom during investigations.

Otsieno will now be reporting to DCI offices to assist in the investigations during the time the matter will be under prob