Only four guns were surrendered by locals in the North Rift counties affected by banditry attacks in the three-day window given by President William Ruto before the intense crackdown begins.
In a statement dated Wednesday, February 15, the National Police Service (NPS) announced that three rifles were surrendered in Pokot and one in Baragoi.
NPS disclosed that the guns were government weapons and were a Bren gun, an AK47, an ARX-200 Barreta, and an FN rifle.
“Local administrators and opinion leaders within Pokot Central Sub-County recovered and surrendered three firearms to NPS.
“In Baragoi, Samburu North Sub-County Deputy County Commissioner received an AK47 Rifle with one magazine loaded with 3 rounds of ammunition (7.62x39mm), surrendered by a member of the public,” the statement read in part.
The consignment of recovered rifles was a combination of automatic and semi-automatic rifles. Kenyans.co.ke, looked into some of the rifles and their features.
Avtomat Kalashnikova (AK47)
First introduced in 1947, the Avtomat Kalashnikova (AK47) is an assault rifle available in automatic or semi-automatic formats.
It is a shoulder weapon that can fire a round of ammunition 7,62 millimetres (mm) in length. The magazine has a carrying capacity of 30 rounds which are loaded into a gas-return tube.
When set on automatic, the AK47 can fire up to 600 rounds of ammunition per minute. However, its accuracy is delimited by the recoil and blowback forces.
Bereta ARX200
The Bereta ARX200 is an Italian assault rifle more accurate than the AK47. It has a shorter barrel made from aluminum and fiberglass reinforced with technopolymer.
Its stalk is foldable and telescopic and allows up to three firing positions. Its magazine holds 20 rounds of ammunition and has a cyclic rate to fire 600 rounds per minute.
FN Gun
FN gun is an American company that manufactures guns. While NPS did not specify the type of gun, the firm builds pistols, rifles and shotguns.
The assault rifles are the FN15s which can fire 30 rounds of ammunition (5.5 mm) from a full magazine. It is a lightweight weapon and the 5.56x45m chambers offer high capacity and accuracy.
Bren Gun
The Bren gun is a British light machine gun invented before World War II. It can fire up to 500 rounds of ammunition with an effective firing range of 550 metres.
It is gas-powered and is fitted with two recoil springs to cushion the force and a bipod that enables rounds of ammunition to be fired at ground level.
A notable feature is that the rounds are loaded into the barrel from a magazine fitted at the top.
Source: kENYANS.CO.KE
