Police in Machakos County over the weekend arrested a man who is said to have been impersonating a Firearms Licensing Board (FLB) officer.
Dominic Ondari Ombogi, 42, was busted by detectives in possession of assorted fake FLB documents and stamps at his Nguluni home in Matungulu, Machakos County
His arrest came following a court order obtained from Kahawa Law Courts, after intelligence reports placed him at the core of a dreadful syndicate that issued fake firearm certificates to non-vetted applicants.
“Ondari has been battling accusations of Stealing a Firearm and Making a Document Without Authority at the City Court, and has been out on Sh 500,000 bond,” police said on Monday.
In the active case, the man is accused of duping a Kajiado youth into believing that he could transfer the certificate of his late father’s firearm into his name, before subjecting the unsuspecting victim to endless paper work that culminated in the theft of the firearm.
Police say preliminary investigations have established that Ondari, who allegedly poses as a well-connected resource person in the firearms board, has only operated in the underworld and never sat at the Firearms Licensing Board as he alleges.
“Upon his arrest, assorted filled firearm application forms, psychiatrist reports from Mathari Referral Hospital bearing different names, a seal from the Central Firearms Bureau, various FLB and Armatech Kenya Ltd rubbers stamps, four civilian firearm certificates, forged letters allegedly from the Nairobi region police command and several bank statements were seized,” detectives said.
Authorities said they had also established that jointly with others who impersonate officials in the board, Ondari targets vulnerable victims who are in haste to be cleared for the gun ownership, recklessly providing the fake certificates to anyone as long as good money changes hands.
“He even renews the certificates periodically at a cost of Sh 6,000,” police added.
The man was detained at Muthaiga Police Station to pave the way for investigations to establish other accomplices.
The matter will be mentioned at Kahawa Law Courts on March 10, 2023, where Ondari will face charges of being in possession of implements of forgery and making documents without authority.
