EAC evaluates project to eliminate small arms

The EAC Partner States’ heads of National Focal Points (NFPs) on Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALWs) this week held a three-day meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, to evaluate the impact of a six-year project which winds up in December this year.The project was initiated by the EAC Secretariat in collaboration with the German Development Agency (GIZ) to address the proliferation of small arms, considered among key sources of crime and insecurity in East African countries.The project has focused on marking of arms, raising awareness on dangers of small arms and light weapons and capacity building on stockpile management (marking, registration and storage).According to a statement, the evaluation is being carried out by external consultants commissioned by GIZ. The chairman of the meeting in Nairobi, David Kimaiyo, commended the EAC Secretariat and the German organisation for initiating the project.“The SALWs project has had a very positive impact in controlling the proliferation of arms,” said Kimaiyo, who is also the Director of Kenya National Focal Point on SALW.Leonard Onyonyi, EAC peace and security expert, said the review was meant to assess achievements and challenges of the SALW project.“This comprehensive appraisal will help Partner States and development partners come up with a clear picture of achievements of the project,” he said.The meeting was attended by representatives of Regional Centre on Small Arms (RECSA), Eastern Africa Action Network on Small Arms (EAANSA) and Eastern Africa Sub-regional Support Initiative (EASSI) who are regional partners of the SALW project.