Police order city businessman to give up gun after scuffle in nightclub
He is no doubt well-connected, successful and flashy, but Nairobi businessman Chris Obure (not to be mistaken for the senator) is also fast gaining a reputation as fabulously trigger-happy.
And while on his gun escapades, his adversaries say, he seems to be on the right side of law enforcement for little, if anything, is ever done to reprimand him.
Barely two months after he assaulted a man and fired seven rounds in the air at a club in Westlands, Mr Obure was in the news again on Friday night after he threatened to shoot a reveller at Kilimani’s B-Club.
BRANDISH GUN
The scuffle did not escalate but he is said to have brandished his gun. Following a public outcry, the police have now directed Mr Obure to surrender his firearm immediately.
According to a report made at Kilimani Police Station, Mr Obure had double-parked his black Range Rover, blocking other customers.
When he was called to the parking yard, he instead got infuriated and threatened to shoot the two customers waiting to drive out of the premises. In the ensuing melee, he is accused of breaking the driver’s window of a silver Volkswagen Passat.
On Monday, Kilimani Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) boss Phyllis Kanina recorded the statements of the complainant and witnesses. Investigations are expected to be complete on Wednesday.
Police say the businessman has in the past few months been involved in at least five cases of gun misuse in Nairobi. They however could not explain why action has not been taken against him.
Police could also not explain how many firearms Mr Obure possesses as sources have indicated that a pistol licensed to him is being held by the DCI’s Flying Squad over claims of misuse.
GUN HOLDERS
The Firearms Act requires all gun holders to safely keep their firearms and only remove them when they want to use them. Guns in civilian hands should not be exposed, especially in public or social places.
On November 2 last year, Mr Obure was accused of threatening to shoot Mr Alex Lwin at The Klub House, on Ojijo Road, in Parklands but no action was taken despite a complaint booking at Parklands Police Station.
Frustrated at the slow pace of police action, Mr Lwin later officially complained to the DCI chief Ndegwa Muhoro, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (Ipoa) and the Director of Public Prosecutions. In his petition, Mr Lwin asked the authorities to investigate the claims of assault and misuse of a firearm.
But two months on and Mr Obure is yet to be disarmed despite a recommendation in an investigation report to have him apprehended and charged.
ESCALATE
“I am dissatisfied with the manner in which this case was quickly but quietly dispensed with by the Parklands police and it is my humble request that this case be escalated to the Directorate of Criminal Investigation level as it is rightfully within your jurisdiction to investigate,” Mr Lwin’s petition reads.
Mr Obure is said to have assaulted Mr Lwin, brandished his gun and fired several times in the air following a confrontation involving a woman.
“All the necessary evidence was laid bare at Parklands Police Station, including spent cartridges, and we have lined up several witnesses,” Mr Lwin says in the appeal to Mr Muhoro.
Director of Executive Protection Services George Musamali noted an increase in misuse of guns with police blamed for reluctance to act on the offenders.
