Shooting: The Rise Of Master Sammy Onyango As He Eyes NGAO Top Seat

_{Police tactician Sammy Onyango in a past championship. PHOTO/ SAMMY ONYANGO}

KIAMBU, Kenya- Police shooters team trainer Sammy Onyango has declared his candidature for the chairmanship of the National Gun Owners Association of Kenya (NGAO), slated for Saturday, February 8.

Martin Kyengo is the association’s outgoing chairman. The elections will be held at Kirigiti shooting range in Kiambu County during the association’s annual general meeting (AGM).

Onyango, who is also referred to as Mwalimu, is a civilian shooting trainer who has been training the police team drawn from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) since 2019. “I train them free of charge and also mentor them as a way of giving back to society,” he said.

He trains the Emergency Response Team (ERT) of the anti-terror police unit, which was recently declared the overall winner during the East Africa Police Shooting Championships in Kigali, Rwanda.

The event took place at the Counter Terrorism Training Center in Mayange (Rwanda) and brought together police teams from the East Africa region and other invited nations, with 14 nations participating in the event from January 23-31. Teams were drawn from Uganda, Tanzania, Seychelles, Djibouti, South Sudan, and the host, Rwanda, which had two teams—one male and one female.

During an interview, Onyango, who also owns Triple Tap Company, which deals with firearms, firearm handling, and security consultancy, expressed his aim to revitalize the association to better align with modern times.

“Once elected, I want to bring in fresh ideas to the association. With my experience and extensive travel, I will ensure the organization connects with several local government agencies and international bodies for members’ networking,” he said.

_{Sammy Onyango flies Kenyan flag high in a past international contest. PHOTO/ SAMMY ONYANGO}

He also emphasized the importance of transparency in leadership and aims to demystify the perception that gun owners are either “cowboys” or involved in illegal activities.

“I intend to open up the association to more social activities, allowing members to interact and socialize with the public. This will foster peace, especially in troubled areas like the North Rift and Northeastern regions,” added Onyango.

If elected, he plans to assist in regulation control and build a strong body of licensed gun owners with robust gender representation. Onyango boasts extensive training in weapon handling and shooting coaching from various European countries, including the US, Hungary, and South Africa.

His qualifications include advanced handgun instructor, weapons and tactics instructor, sniper instructor course, small arms course, and international defensive pistol safety officer instructor (IDPA).

He is currently recognized as a master-level shooter in Africa, the highest accolade awarded to him in 2019 during an African shooting championship at the annual Northern National Competition in the stock service pistol (SSP) division held in South Africa. Onyango has also won numerous awards and trophies at continental and international shooting championships.

_{Sammy Onyango (left) with colleagues in a past international contest. PHOTO/ SAMMY ONYANGO}

In addition to training and mentoring the shooting team from the DCI, he has also trained teams from the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF), the Anti-Stock Theft Unit, the Kenya Prisons Service, and the General Service Unit (GSU).

He played an instrumental role in the establishment of the Kirigiti shooting range in Kiambu County in 2015 and the Kedong Administration Police shooting range in 2022.

Onyango, born in 1972 in Woodley, Nairobi, previously served as the Chief of Staff for Kiambu County and as the National Chairman of all Chiefs of Staff in KENYA He is also a philanthropist who, since 2013, has educated and sponsored over 50 children from needy families in Kiambu County to attain education up to university level.

Furthermore, he has sponsored several sports shooters to attend international competitions in the USA, South Africa, Italy, Thailand, and other countries.