This archive report was first published on 4 November 2019.
Car theft has become a thriving business in Kariobangi, Nairobi, with several cases reported in recent months. On October 22, 2019, Mr. Joseph Nyaga's Toyota DX car was stolen from the parking lot of Equity Bank Kariobangi branch.
Mr. Nyaga parked his car at 11 pm and went home, only to find it missing the next morning. His daughter, Rita Karimi, reported the incident to the police, but they were unable to find any CCTV footage of the theft.
Ms. Karimi told Nairobi News that they tried to investigate the incident but were unable to find any leads. 'There are a number of banks around the place he had parked. We tried to check the CCTV footage from all of them but we never saw how the car left the parking slot,' she said.
The police have been following up on the case, but so far, they have not been able to recover the stolen car. The incident is one of many car theft cases reported in Kariobangi, where thieves have been dismantling vehicles and selling spare parts.
Just a few weeks ago, Mr. Amos Makabe woke up to find several parts of his car missing. He reported the incident to the police, but they were unable to find any leads. 'I had no option but to call the mechanic and ask him to repair the car. Three days later I moved out of Kariobangi,' he said.
The police have admitted that despite their best efforts, car theft has continued to thrive in the area. 'Our main challenge is that many suspects – even those found in possession of stolen cars – are often released by the courts,' said a senior investigating officer.
However, Nairobi County police boss Philip Ndolo has warned criminals involved in the trade that they will soon catch up with them. 'Our officers are keeping an eye and I want to assure you that we have closed all the loopholes and the criminals will pay for their actions,' he said.
