Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has urged countries in the Great Lakes Region and the Horn of Africa to intensify regional cooperation to curb the spread of illicit small arms and light weapons. Speaking during the 11th Regional Centre on Small Arms and Light Weapons (RECSA) Council of Ministers meeting at Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi, Murkomen warned that the proliferation of these weapons continues to threaten peace, security, and development across the region.
“The spread of small arms continues to endanger our communities, fuel conflict and undermine the gains we have made in peacebuilding and security,” said Murkomen. “There is an urgent need to strengthen regional cooperation to effectively tackle this challenge and secure our future.”
The conference coincided with a major national exercise in which more than 6,000 illegal firearms were destroyed—Kenya’s second-largest public burn-off in history. The destruction, presided over by President William Ruto at the Regional Police Training Centre in Ngong, symbolised the government’s commitment to eliminating illicit arms and reinforcing peace and order.
“This is a demonstration that the government will not tolerate illegal firearms in the hands of unauthorised persons,” President Ruto declared.
Murkomen praised the public destruction of firearms, urging neighbouring countries to undertake similar actions to reinforce regional disarmament efforts. He emphasised that illicit arms exacerbate criminality, cross-border violence, and insecurity, especially in fragile areas.
The Nairobi meeting also marked the end of Kenya’s two-year rotational chairmanship of the RECSA Council of Ministers. Rwanda now assumes leadership of the Council, while Tanzania takes over the Technical Advisory Committee. Murkomen, accompanied by Principal Secretary for Internal Security Dr. Raymond Omollo, reaffirmed Kenya’s commitment to the Nairobi Protocol—a regional framework focused on combating the illicit manufacture, transfer, and use of small arms.
“The Nairobi Protocol remains a vital framework for collective action,” Murkomen said, calling on member states to recommit to its full implementation.
Ministers and representatives from 12 member states, including Uganda, Somalia, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, pledged renewed support for joint cross-border strategies to stem the illegal arms trade and promote regional peace.
