A video of a customised luxury Mercedes Benz resembling a pope-mobile along Kenyan roads elicited debate from Kenyans online over the purpose of the modification.
The vehicle in question ignited a debate on Wednesday, July 6, 2022, after it was spotted on a flatbed bearing the number plate, KTW 110.
The brains behind the motor design is Victor Savwa, a mechanic from Lody Auto Garage who was tasked with customising the vehicle to resemble the popemobile that is only used by the pope while making public appearances.
In an exclusive interview with Kenyans.co.ke, Savwa noted that the vehicle belongs to his friend who is a member of the Bohra Community. His friend migrated to Kenya from India in the early 2000s and has been living here since.
At the time of acquiring the vehicle, it was in a desolate state but his friend sought to transform the car's outer look as an honour to their spiritual leader, Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, who only makes periodic visits to Kenya.
"In 2019, my friend came to me and had the idea of transforming it into a popemobile as a form of appreciation for the community spiritual leader who was set to tour the country at the time."
"Their spiritual leader was set to travel to Mombasa for a one-week trip in July 2019, so my friend wanted the vehicle to be ready by the time he arrives," he added.
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Given one month to complete the vehicle, Savwa and his crew began the process by removing all the parts.
"I had to understand whether the vehicle could hold the modifications that we were going to put. The process included strong bars and four steel pillars as reinforcement," he noted.
Savwa and his team had to reinforce the floor by placing strong steels, fitting pillars on the side mirrors to hold the glass as well as rewiring.
In the case of the glass, they looked for a plastic fibre glass that had provisions for air conditioning.
For the leather seats, Savwa had to subcontract a company for the material to be imported from Italy. The exterior part was repainted in metallic gold.
The whole process cost over Ksh1.5 million and the only parts that were not modified included the tires, rims and engine.
The vehicle can only accommodate the driver and two passengers at the back including the Guru and one of his trusted aides. The bodyguards mainly walk alongside the vehicle to resemble Pope John Paul II
According to his Indian friend, the car possesses a rich history as it was at one point driven by former Ugandan president Idi Amin.
