NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 17 – Police have found seven firearms and 600 bullets in businessman Jimi Wanjigi’s Muthaiga mansion, including a military grade M4 rifle not allowed in civilian hands.
A senior police officer briefed on the findings says the other guns seized are a Miniacher rifle, 3 Glock pistols, a Smith and a Wesson revolver.
The raid was being conducted by officers from the elite Flying Squad and Special Crimes Prevention Unit (SCPU) who were backed up by the dreaded General Service Unit (GSU) officers deployed there on Monday night.
“All these rifles were found in Wanjigi’s house and we are trying to establish how he acquired the military rifle,” the senior officer who spoke to us in confidence said, “we will definitely press charges for it.”
But family members who spoke to journalists at the home said all the firearms in the businessman’s possession were legally acquired.
Wanjigi and his wife have already obtained anticipatory bails of Sh50,000 each following an application filed at the High Court which also restrained police from searching his homes or businesses.
In the order issued on Tuesday, Justice Chacha Mwita directed that Wanjigi should not be harassed until Wednesday when the suit he has filed under a certificate of urgency is heard inter-partes.
But lawyer James Orengo who went to serve the officers with the order was locked out, and had to pin it on the gate of the luxurious mansion not far from the American ambassador’s residence.
In his suit papers, the businessman also denied knowledge of the cache of firearms recovered at a villa in Malindi claiming that whatever was seized does not belong to him.
Through his lawyers, Wanjigi says the move is conveniently framed to embarrass and falsely accuse them to merely settle political scores”.
His lawyers and other NASA leaders have separately argued that the raid at Wanjigi’s home is due to his involvement in Opposition activities since he is said to heavily fund its leader, Raila Odinga.