Businesswoman Mary Wambui freed on Kshs 50,000 cash bail

Businesswoman Mary Wambui was Thursday charged with unlawful possession of a firearm without a valid certificate following her arrest on Wednesday.

Wambui who was arraigned before Milimani chief magistrate Wendy Kagendo also faced a second charge of possessing of ammunitions without a firearm certificate.

The court said that on diverse dates between 17th April 2020 and 15th December 2021, Wambui had unlawfully in possession of 22 (9.9mm) calibre ammunitions without valid certificate.

The firearm in question was a pistol CZ 75 Compact (Mini Ceska) serial no. A785965.

She denied both counts and was released on a bond of Kshs 100,000 with an alternative bail of Kshs 50,000.

She was represented by Law Society of Kenya president, Nelson Havi, and Elgeyo Marakwet Senator, Kipchumba Murkomen.

The case will come up for mentioned on Tuesday, January 25.

Wambui, who is the Purma Holdings director, had been detained at Muthaiga Police Station.

She had initially surrendered her firearm, a semi-automatic CZ 75 to Runda Police Station on December 15, after the Firearms Licensing Board claimed that she was in possession of the firearm illegally.

The board had argued that her licence had since expired and that she needed to surrender the gun and can only be able to get it back once the licence is renewed.

The licence had expired on April 17, 2020.

Details on the expiry of her license came into the public limelight after detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) raided her Weston Hotel room.