A Makadara court has released an employee of the National Police Service (NPS) headquarters Arms Registry on bond after he spent four days in police custody.
Geophery Malo Otsieno was arrested on September 6 following a complaint filed by Mrs. Oria Douglas Hamilton, a licensed civilian firearm holder.
According to court documents, Mrs. Oria was applying for a corporate firearms license for her company, Elephant Watch Safaris Limited. However, during the submission process at the Firearms Licensing Board (FLB), officers detected irregularities in the renewal receipts.
The matter was referred for investigation, which revealed that Otsieno had allegedly presented himself as a police officer at the FLB offices and offered to help the complainant renew her license for a fee. Further inquiries reportedly linked him to the illegal licensing of other firearm holders using fake certificates, cards, and renewal receipts.
The prosecution, through FLB officers, sought 14 days to continue holding the suspect, arguing that key witness statements were yet to be recorded. However, defense lawyers Danstan Omari and Shadrack Wambui opposed the application, insisting that their client’s presence was not required for the forensic analysis of his phone.
In her ruling, Magistrate Wandia Nyamu noted that while the prosecution’s application was arguable, there was no evidence that the suspect would interfere with witnesses. She therefore ordered his release on a bond of Ksh 500,000 or an alternative cash bail of Ksh 200,000.
The matter will be mentioned on October 15, 2025, to track the progress of investigations.
