This archive report was first published on 11 October 2019.
Since January, a staggering 146 cars may have been stolen in Eldoret, according to our source within the team of police officers investigating the racket. The thieves have been operating with impunity, leaving motorists counting their losses.
Joseph Nyamu, a victim of the car theft epidemic, stood outside the Eldoret Central Police Station on a chilly morning, hoping to find his car that had been stolen a week earlier. He had heard from a friend that police had organised an identification exercise for lost and found cars, but his hopes were dashed when he only found the windscreen of his missing car.
Mr Nyamu had just cleared a loan he took to buy the car, registration number KBD 862J. The thieves had removed the windscreen and mirrors because they bore the registration number. The car is yet to be recovered, he said.
On September 28, four motorists who had attended the recording of an entertainment programme at a sports club found their cars missing upon return to the parking lot. In another incident, a Probox, registration number KBN 994G, was stolen outside a supermarket in Eldoret town.
Joseph Burgei, the owner of the Probox, said his vehicle was up for sale at the time it was stolen outside the supermarket. He claimed that police officer requested Sh3,000 to facilitate tracking of the suspect, which he offered because he was desperate to have the car back.
On July 11, a member of the syndicate was arrested while attempting to break into a car parked outside a building on the Eldoret-Iten highway at around 6am. The owner of the vehicle was inside the car.
Our informer explained that there has been more arrests in the last few weeks because of change in command. There is a powerful ring based in Nakuru and Nairobi, where suspects who steal and deliver the stolen cars are paid Sh20,000 for a delivered car.
County Commander Johnstone Ipara said 15 vehicles had been recovered, but declined to give the total number of cars stolen in the year. He said they can only investigate their officers if complaints are brought forward.
