The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) is currently investigating four individuals alleged to be part of a large syndicate involved in motor vehicle theft.
This is Milimani Senior Principal Magistrate Robinson Ondieki granted the DCI’s request to continue holding the suspects for an additional seven days to allow detectives to complete their investigations.
The suspects Raphael Oloo Kira, Simon Mugo Chege, George Nyakundi, and Mutua John Julius were apprehended on April 4, 2025, in Joska, after they were found in possession of a stolen vehicle that had been reported missing from Parklands.
Magistrate Ondieki noted that the suspects did not oppose the request for their detention.
“Noting the respondents did not oppose the prayer of their detention, an order is hereby issued allowing the investigating officer to have them in custody for seven days,” he ruled
The police, through an affidavit filed by Constable Sammy Shamalla of the DCI Parklands Police Station, requested the extension of the detention period to facilitate the completion of investigations into the motor vehicle theft syndicate.
The DCI officers are probing the suspects’ involvement in multiple car thefts across the city.
Shamalla detailed the case in his court testimony, revealing that on March 22, 2025, Benedict Musiko, the owner of a car hire company called Given Tours and Safaris, reported the theft of a Toyota Axio (Registration No. KDR 722K).
The vehicle had been hired by a man named William Mugecha Ngugi on March 19, 2025, for a three-day period.
However, after the agreed-upon time lapsed, the suspect failed to return the car.
On March 21, 2025, Musiko checked the vehicle’s tracking system and found that it had been deactivated.
Efforts to contact the suspect were unsuccessful, leading Musiko to file a report with the police.
The DCI launched an investigation and began recovering statements from several individuals connected to the case.
The breakthrough came on April 3, 2025, when detectives recovered the stolen vehicle, abandoned in Joska, Ruai, with a fake registration plate (KDM 697Z).
Further investigations led to the arrest of the four suspects Mutua John Julius, George Nyakundi, Simon Mugo Chege, and Raphael Oloo Kira. Initial findings revealed that Mutua and Nyakundi specialized in hiring cars using fraudulent identification documents, only to steal the vehicles.
Shamalla explained that the two suspects had stolen Mugecha’s identification card and driving license, then used them to impersonate him when renting the vehicle from Given Tours and Safaris.
The suspects also altered the car’s registration plate and attached a fake one, KDM 697Z.
Meanwhile, Simon Mugo Chege and Raphael Oloo Kira were responsible for erasing the vehicle’s identity markings, including the side mirrors and brake lights, as part of their role in the syndicate.
In further operations, investigators uncovered additional stolen vehicles, including those with the registration numbers KDQ 565Z and KDQ 563J.
These number plates were found during the operation, indicating the extent of the syndicate’s operations.
The DCI requested that the suspects be denied bail, arguing that releasing them at this stage could jeopardize the ongoing investigations.
Constable Shamalla emphasized that the syndicate’s operations involved dismantling stolen vehicles, producing fake number plates, and altering chassis numbers, which could interfere with justice for the victims.
He further noted that the suspects’ addresses were unknown, presenting a flight risk.
The investigators also plan to obtain records from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) to track the history of the stolen vehicles involved in the syndicate’s activities.
In his ruling, Magistrate Ondieki agreed with the DCI’s application and ordered that the suspects remain in custody at Parklands Police Station until April 14, 2025, when the matter will be mentioned for further directions.
The DCI is continuing its investigation to uncover more about the syndicate’s activities and to recover additional stolen vehicles.
