The ex-convict, illegal weapons and the fear of Kenya's police

As Kenya grapples with rising violent crime, BBC Africa Eye follows a former criminal as he tries to persuade men to hand over their illegal firearms – one weapon at a time.

“The worst thing I ever did was kill. I killed a man,” says the young man after agreeing to be filmed on condition of anonymity.

“I didn’t feel anything because I was high. I felt like I had killed a fly.”

Samuel, which is not his real name, is in Kisumu on the shores of Lake Victoria in western Kenya to meet King Kafu, a former convict who now helps people escape crime.

He is visibly nervous. He has an AK47 hidden somewhere, which he now wants to hand over to the police.

When asked why, he says: “The day will come when my family will have nothing to eat. At some point, something will happen to them.”

“If I’m fooling around here and then get shot, there’s going to be no one there to take care of my family. So I decided from the bottom of my heart to give this thing back.”

Figures from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics show that the number of violent robberies increased by almost 20 percent last year.

Illegal firearms are smuggled into the country through porous borders. According to the Institute of Security Studies, Kenya’s gun ownership among civilians is unique in East Africa.

The latest figures from the Small Arms Survey, which tracks global gun trends, suggest that there are around 750,000 firearms in the hands of civilians in Kenya – more weapons than the army and police combined.

Kafu acts as an intermediary between people who want to hand over their weapons and the police.

Man speaking into a microphone — King Kafu uses his radio program to appeal to young people to turn away from crime (BBC)

He became a criminal for the first time at the age of 15. At first he stole people’s pockets and later he started to commit armed robberies.

In 2003, he was sentenced to four years in prison for robbery.

Samuel had contacted him on Instagram and asked for help. Kafu spoke to the local police in Kisumu and they agreed to accept Samuel’s gun and promised that he would not be investigated as part of a proven amnesty program.

But when it was time to meet the AK47 again, Samuel didn’t show up.

Now 40, Kafu is a presenter on Ghetto Radio, a station popular with young people in the slum areas of the capital Nairobi, and uses his platform to speak out against gun violence.

“After my release, I learned that many of my friends who were involved in crimes had met tragic ends. Most of them died as a result of their criminal lifestyle,” he says.

This was the reason why he turned his life around.

“Nobody is born a thief. But even if the youth don’t have a job, we tell them that crime is not good. People should return their illegal weapons to the government,” he says.

Over the past twenty years, the Kenyan government has used amnesties as a means of curbing gun crime, promising immunity to those who surrender their weapons.

Thousands of weapons have been handed over to the authorities. But this is only a fraction of the illegal firearms in circulation.

Man as silhouette in front of a window — Those who want to hand over their weapons are afraid of being identified (BBC)

One criminal told BBC Africa Eye that it was easy to get a gun in Kenya, saying he could buy one for 40,000 Kenyan shillings ($300; £240).

According to Kafu, people who are willing to hand over their illegal firearms to the authorities fear they will become targets themselves.

The police are accused of being involved in extrajudicial killings. According to the Kenyan aid organization Missing Voices, more than 800 people have died at the hands of police in the last five years. The majority of them were poor young men.

In Nairobi, BBC Africa Eye accompanies Kafu to another man, whom we call John, who is willing to hand over his weapon.

“I’m ready to give it back. You go and kill someone. You’ll spend the money you get for it within three months, but you’ve shed someone’s blood. You’ve hurt someone and you’re left with the guilt. This life is a nuisance.”

John’s biggest fear about going to the police was that something might happen to him.

He describes what happened to a friend who confided to an elder in the community that he wanted to turn in two guns. He was picked up by the police and found in a morgue a week later.

“The problem is knowing who to tell and how to pass it on,” he says.

There have been numerous allegations that the Kenyan police are renting and selling firearms and ammunition to criminals. BBC Africa Eye contacted the police with this allegation, but they did not respond.

Man speaks to journalists — King Kafu acts as an intermediary between the police and people who own illegal weapons (BBC)

Kafu called the local police chief to calm the man down, and a few days later they went to the police station with the gun.

The officer checked the weapon’s serial number and found that it had a KP marking, which stands for “Kenyan Police.”

At a police press conference announcing the return of the weapon, Kafu made a public statement to ensure that the police reiterated their commitment to protecting these men.

“I want the government to be open to the youth. If they return these things, will they disappear or will they be supported? I ask the government to cooperate. These youth want to be shown some love.”

This alone will not stop violent crime involving firearms in Kenya, but Kafu says it is a start. Criminals trust him, he says, and hopes he can persuade more people to surrender their weapons without fear of retribution.

“We are trying to fight for these young people,” says Kafu.