More than 8,000 Illegal firearms were on Thursday destroyed at the Uhuru Gardens, with the government making made true its promise to adhere to the Nairobi Protocol on elimination of small arms.

Internal Security Minister John Michuki set the illicit arms ablaze with a pledge to fight insecurity in the country.

Michuki said a bill will soon be tabled in parliament to mete out stiffer penalties against those found in possession of illegal firearms.

The Minister urged all the security agencies, civil society organizations, religion and people of good will to support the on going disarmament programme.

Police Commissioner Major Gen Hussein Ali said that he has currently cancelled all temporary licenses, which he says are suspected they are being misused.

He appealed to the public to continue informing the police about those with the firearms.

Michuki said the general amnesty for those who voluntarily surrender illegal firearms is still in place warning that the government has embarked on forceful disarment starting with the North Rift Region.

In similar exercises carried out in 2003 and 2005 the government destroyed a total of about 12,000 illegal firearms.

Government statistics estimate that there is one illegal gun for every 300 Kenyans.

It is believed that the estimated 100,000 illegal weapons are to blame for increasing killings in the country.

Police say it is difficult to win the war against gun crime unless there is a significant reduction in the number of illegal weapons available to criminals.

The Co-ordinator of the National Focal Point on Small Arms and Light Weapons, in the office of the President Peter Erege says voluntary surrender of illicit arms is the only way the public can assist the government to fight crime in the country.

A survey by the unit singles out the Rift Valley and Nairobi Provinces as having the highest concentrations of illegal guns.

The survey indicates that 1.2 million Kenyans have access to weapons.

Only about 4000 weapons are properly licensed and an unknown number held on the basis of temporary three months permits which the firearms bureau is no longer renewing.

The illegal weapons problem is regional with the executive secretary of the Regional Center on Small Arms, Mr. Francis Sang saying there are more than 3 million guns in Sub-Saharan Africa.