The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) on Thursday, June 29, handed over a cloned Range Rover to the government for destruction. The high-end vehicle, valued at Ksh25 million, was suspected to have been cloned to disguise its authentic year of release.
According to the regulator, the vehicle was intercepted during a routine inspection in Mombasa.
In a statement, the government agency raised the red flag over the increased cases of smuggled vehicles, noting that the SUV resembled the Range Rover's four-by-four model manufactured in 2021.
"The Range Rover, whose Chassis Number SALGA2AEXLA400687 was apprehended during a routine inspection at the Regional Logistics Centre, Mombasa," KEBS stated.
Following the interception, KEBS noted that the government can destroy or return the car from where it was imported as it failed to meet its standard operating procedures.
A new version of the intercepted Range Rover costs north of Ksh25 million, while a used one ranges between Ksh7 million and Ksh15 million.
"This is an expensive vehicle which has been fraudulently brought into the country. Our inspection agencies collaborated with various stakeholders to intercept it," KEBS Acting Managing Director Esther Ngari stated.
"There are processes that we have put in place to make sure that fraudulent activities do not happen," she added.
Another KEBS official lamented that many Kenyans were losing their money to the importation of counterfeit cars. He noted that the suspects obtained details of the cars by attending auctions in the UK and the US.
He thus warned Kenyans against buying cars from unregistered dealers. He also implored them to follow stipulated inspection procedures to avoid falling victim to cloned vehicles which do not match Kenyan standards.
On Sunday, June 11, KEBS revealed that a former governor fell victim to a syndicate which had stolen a Range Rover from the UK. The unnamed governor purchased a Range Rover Vogue from Dubai at Ksh9.9 million.
Reports revealed that the high-range car was stolen in a UK yard and shipped to Dubai before the governor purchased it.
“The Chassis number displayed on this car is a 2020 car, the car you have, is actually a 2019 model and not a 2020 model.
“The identity labels are fake but the engine number is genuine. The car was reported stolen in the UK on August 21, 2022,” the UK report noted.
