Detectives in Mombasa are pursuing a man who has defrauded Kenyans of millions in a vehicle import racket.
Authorities stated that his victims came from Mombasa, Nairobi, Athi River, Thika, and other towns, with at least six people allegedly defrauded in December alone.
The accused is said to be posing as a vehicle importer who sources vehicles from Japan at a lower price and delivers them on time after all payments are made. This promise, however, never comes to pass, according to the police.
"This person has been a serial fraudster, and in fact, he doesn't own a yard; he just has an account and friends from Japan, where he can import the vehicles at a lower price. Members of the public have been duped by being told that they will get the vehicles at a lower price," Mike Muia, the Mombasa DCI detective, stated.
Adding, "The fact about the issue is they are being defrauded out of their money. None of the complainants has ever received a vehicle from the fraudster."
The latest incident involved a Catholic church and was one of the most notable of the incidents that were reported to the DCI.
Early in April, the church agreed with the fraudster to purchase a Toyota double cabin, which was funded by the Changi Catholic church in Mombasa.
After receiving assurances that the car would reach Kenya within 60 days, the church allegedly transferred Ksh2.7 million to the accused's account on April 17, 2025.
"The month of June went by. When I called to ask for the vehicle documents. He told me to wait. The document would be sent. He then convinced the client that in a month the vehicle would be in Kenya," a witness stated.
He also convinced the client to send an additional KSh200,000 for the documents to be sent.
A further Ksh300,000 was later sent by the church, bringing the total amount to about Ksh3.2 million.
Six months later, the vehicle never arrived, and efforts to contact the accused became futile, for he was not picking up the calls. This turn of events made us repost the incident.
Earlier this year, a prominent businessman faced charges for allegedly defrauding clients of millions of shillings for vehicles, including BMWs, VW Tiguan, and Subaru Outbacks, that were never delivered.
In another incident in May 2025, Kenneth Njiru Njagi was charged with defrauding a client of Ksh9.9 million for a luxury car.
Police also issued a warning to the public, urging Kenyans to exercise caution during the festive season as cases of fraud are on the rise.
