Used spare part dealers fueling car theft syndicates by providing ready black market

A well-entrenched and intricate web running a multi-billion shilling second hand motor vehicle spare parts dealerships and whose kingpins are suspected to be spread out across the country and beyond could be fueling a new wave of carjackings and car theft syndicate due to the readily available black-market and rising demand of scare spare parts of the new car models, The Informer has established.

The recent killing of an elderly man along Kenyatta Road in Kiambu county over alleged involvement in vandalism of stolen vehicles found in his compound, Mazda CX-5 models has blown the lid into the lucrative underhand dealings.

The deceased, popularly known as Gakono was lynched late last month is said to have been supplying a number of second hand vehicle spare parts dealers based in Industrial Area in Nairobi.

“This is a clandestine business involving second hand parts dealers who offer ready market for stolen vehicle parts, carjackers and intermediaries who commission carjackings and car robberies, vandalise and sell the parts to dealers and garages.” Our source intimated.

The deceased is said to have used his Toyota Probox top supply spare parts from stolen vandalised cars or motorbikes to his ‘clients’ based in Industrial Area.

At his residence compound along Kenyatta Road, at least five vandalised Mazda CX-5models were recovered and are suspected to have been stolen.

A spot check of the prevailing prices of Mazda CX-5 from second hand part dealers in Industrial Area revealed high demand and overly lucrative of the scare products.

“One headlight of Mazda CX-5 is going for Sh95,000 but if you buy two Sh180,000 will be okay. We don’t have new ones; we only sell second hand. I have not heard of new Mazda CX-5 spare parts. Currently in the market, we only have second hand parts.” One of the dealers told The Informer.

Gakono is said to have operated from Ngara in Nairobi as a second hand spare parts dealer although he did not have a physical outlet for his main ‘business’.

His car was also torched down and reduced to ashes. His accomplice was also beaten and lynched to death by the angry mob. Below are the vandalized vehicles that were recovered.

Second hand part dealers who spoke to The Informer on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals from rogue operators revealed that the mushrooming of unlicensed shops dealing in used spare parts and unregistered garages are supporting the illicit trade operating in cahoots with carjackers and suppliers of parts from stolen vehicles.

The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) has a requirement that ensures only suitable spare parts are imported for use in repair of vehicles and contracted pre-shipment inspection agents are required to ascertain only spare parts that meet the standards are certified for importation.

The illicit trade is believed to also involve transnational organised criminal gangs.

Cases of transiting stolen cars to Uganda and Burundi are on the rise.

The crime that has scaled to cross border dimensions has been has been precipitated by a pattern of carjackings on the Kenyan Highways targeting private cars.

The local ‘agents’ of the car theft racket are believed to have teamed up with regional accomplices with the assistance of corrupt border officials who facilitate transit of the stolen vehicles across the border.

In 2016, detectives attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations recovered Peter Kenneth’s wife stolen vehicle in Amagoro area within Busia County three days after she was carjacked while driving at her Kyuna residence in Nairobi.

Ann Wanjiru Kenneth was carjacked at night along Kibagare Road in Spring Valley, Kyuna area by gunmen disguised as security guards.

The same night, President Uhuru Kenyatta’s nephew Dr Njoroge Muigai was also carjacked and his Volkswagen Tiguan stolen but police have since traced it to Uganda.

In 2014, the defunct Flying Squad officers arrested a man allegedly involved in an international ring of cross border car theft syndicate whom detectives said masqueraded as an accountant to former retired president, the late Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi.

Ezekiel Rotich was apprehended by the then Flying Squad detectives in Eldoret following a red alert signal by the then head of Director of Criminal Investigations Ndegwa Muhoro.

Rotich was arrested a week after robbing off a Nakuru based pastor identified as pastor Nyarike his Toyota Land-cruiser VX registration number KBT 955P believed to be holed up in Burundi, one of their market of smuggled cars.

In 2007, an operation coordinated by Interpol recovered hundreds of stolen high end cars in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.