This archive report was first published on 21 September 2019.
On September 20, 2019, Uasin Gishu County Police Commander Johnson Ipara led a team of police officers from Eldoret in a raid on a compound in Mosoriot, Nandi County, where they recovered eight vehicles and five tractors suspected to have been stolen.
The vehicles, which included a Mercedes Benz, a Toyota Hilux, Toyota Premio, Subaru Forester, a Mitsubishi FH, and two pickups (Mitsubishi and Isuzu), had chassis numbers that did not exist in the National Transport and Safety Authority database.
According to Mr. Ipara, the police had been tracking the suspect following intelligence reports linking him to a cartel comprising car dealers and government officials.
“The intelligence information led us to the compound of the suspect in Ndaptabwa in Nandi County. Upon a quick check, we discovered that the chassis numbers had been tampered with,” Mr. Ipara said.
The owner of the home where the vehicles were recovered was arrested and is being held at the Eldoret Central Police Station.
Police suspect that the vehicles and farm machinery might have been smuggled from neighboring countries or transit goods diverted to evade taxation.
