This archive report was first published on 28 October 2019.
On October 27, 2019, police in Nairobi made a significant breakthrough in recovering stolen mobile phones. According to Nairobi Central sub county police commander Stanley Atavachi, officers from Kamukunji Police Station recovered more than 260 mobile phones stolen in armed robberies and muggings in the CBD and Kayole estate.
Of the recovered phones, 154 were found in phone repair shops in downtown Nairobi, while 108 were recovered from a shop in Kayole. The recovery of the phones was made possible through the use of International Mobile Equipment Identification (IMEI) numbers, which helped police trace the owners of the stolen phones and those who came forward reported being robbed.
"The seven will be charged with robbery with violence and an alternative charge of handling stolen property because to us they are the perpetrators of the robberies until they prove they did not participate in it," Atavachi said.
Police in Kayole also recovered a gadget used for reprogramming of mobile phones, which is used to distort phone identification features and disable tracking systems before it is sold to the next user. The owner of the shop, identified as Joseph Makori, fled and police are still pursuing him.
Inspector Noor Abdi of Kamukunji Police Station has been leading operations to arrest the technicians suspected of buying the phones from muggers and robbers before reprogramming and selling them, or vandalizing them to remove resalable parts. Abdi has charged close to 10 technicians with handling suspected stolen property because they could not show the owners despite claiming they are repairing the phones for them.
