The Kenya Defence Forces destroyed 6,000 illegal firearms in Ngong, Kajiado County, in an event attended by President William Ruto.
This action is part of the government’s fight against the proliferation of small arms and light weapons that fuel banditry and intercommunal violence in parts of the country. The firearms were recovered between 2022 and 2025, with the majority voluntarily surrendered by the public through amnesty programs and community disarmament campaigns. Officials also recovered a significant number in targeted security operations.
“I commend both our security agencies and responsible citizens, including religious and community leaders, whose civic-mindedness and patriotism have made this national milestone possible,” Ruto said. “Because of their efforts, our families, communities and nation are safer.”
Kenya is awash in illegal weapons with an estimated 650,000 in circulation. The arms fuel violence, particularly in the country’s Northern Rift region, where cattle rustling and disputes over pastures lead to bloodshed. More than 300 Kenyans died in cattle-rustling violence in one year, according to a 2024 National Crime Research Centre report.
The weapons destruction event coincided with the 20th anniversary of the Regional Centre on Small Arms and Light Weapons, an international organization that supports disarmament initiatives in 15 nations in the Horn of Africa and Great Lakes.
“A firearm in the wrong hands is not just a potent weapon, it is a direct assault on the safety of our citizens, the stability of our society and the peace we have worked so diligently to build,” Ruto said. “We will not allow violence to take root in our communities. Our commitment to disarming those who threaten our peace is unwavering.”