The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on Wednesday, February 17, nabbed carjackers who have allegedly been stripping car parts from taxis in Kiambu and re-selling in Nairobi.
The criminals are alleged to have been using taxi-hailing application to lure and commandeer vehicles after posing as customers. The vehicle parts are said to fetch very good money in the black market.
The suspects are said to have hijacked a number of taxi operators before driving their vehicles to remote locations where they proceed to vandalize and steal detachable parts of the vehicle.
Police said that businessmen are making millions trading in stolen vehicle parts as demand continues to grow in Nairobi; in both the legal and the illegal markets.
There are different factors that make a car a likely target for thieves, according to the Association of Kenya Insurers, there are ready markets for spare parts especially of cheaper car models like Toyota, Isuzu, and Nissan. Mitsubishi and Mercedes Benz complete the top five.
According to the latest report (2018) published by the Association of Kenya Insurers (AKI), at least 100 cars are reported as stolen to insurance companies each month.
“71% of vehicles reported stolen in the country are Toyotas followed by Isuzu (7%) and Nissan (5%). The rest constitute 17% cumulatively,” the report read in part.
White remains the favourite colour for thieves (50%), followed by silver (21%). 66% of cars are stolen while parked, especially in public places like entertainment joints and churches, while 13% are hijacked.
The car parts that are often targeted are the wheels, rims, side mirrors, car music players, catalytic converters, bumpers, Windshield wipers and washers, head and rear lights, battery and carjacks.
The thieves go for the items often due to their ease of removal, demand in the market, and traceability.
In the black market, for example, car lights are reported to go between Ksh6,500 to Ksh35,000 depending on the lights and car model.
Portable GPS systems have has also been targeted by thieves, with their price reported to range between Ksh8,000 and Ksh30,000 in Kenya's black market.
In Kariobangi, a stolen car can be bought for about Ksh80,000, and then broken down to spare parts within two hours.
Police have conducted raids in known hideouts recovering stockpiles of motor vehicle spare parts worth millions.
In a 2019 operation, police accessed warehouses in Kariobangi South, Kayole and Dandora, where the items - wheel caps, motor vehicle logos, side mirrors, door locks, wipers, indicators and headlamps - were found.
The DCI has put the businesses benefitting from the carjacking incidences targeting Kiambu taxi-drivers on notice.
"Githurai and Ruai based detectives are currently hot on the heels of the crooked businessmen, who profiteer from the sale of vandalized vehicle parts," the DCI stated on February 17, 2021.
