Taxi Driver Arrested After Stealing Ksh500K From Client

Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have arrested a taxi driver who stole Ksh500,000 from a client in Nairobi.

In a statement on Wednesday, September 3, DCI said the suspect, identified as Fred Atandi Morara, was hired to drop a client at an Airbnb in Lavington on August 8, 2025.

The suspect, however, stole the client’s phone and transferred Ksh500,000 from his accounts.

“The arrest of the suspect, Fred Atandi Morara, by DCI HQS detectives yesterday followed a report by the male complainant, who alleged that on the fateful night, a random taxi driver hired to drop him off at an Airbnb within Lavington had stolen his phone and transferred over Sh 500,000 from his accounts,” read the DCI statement in part.

According to the DCI, the complainant had left a social joint in the company of a friend and was in the process of requesting Uber services when Morara, who was waiting nearby, approached and offered a cheaper fare.

After dropping them off, the taxi driver disappeared with the client’s phone and managed to transfer the money to different accounts, which were later deactivated.

Detectives arrested Morara while operating a Mazda Demio fitted with suspected fake registration plates, KDQ 810B, with another spare set of registration number KDN 993Q.

The sleuths also recovered assorted mobile phones, several SIM cards, and a sisal rope.

The suspect was handed over to DCI Dagoretti for further processing pending arraignment in court.

This comes a day after police arrested eight men suspected of being part of a criminal gang that has been conducting violent robberies across multiple counties.

In a statement on Tuesday, DCI said the 8 suspects were arrested in Mtito Andei, Makueni County.

The breakthrough came through a well-coordinated operation executed by the Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau (CRIB), with crucial support from the DCI Headquarters Operations Team.

The criminal gang was consistently linked to a string of violent attacks and burglaries spanning Nairobi, Nakuru, and Mombasa counties.

“A major breakthrough came when detectives intercepted a lorry, registration number KBK 616W/ZC 4758, loaded with goods stolen from the Nyali heist. The seizure disrupted the gang’s supply chain and provided vital evidence for the ongoing case,” DCI noted.

During the same operation, police also recovered a Toyota Porte, which investigators suspect served as a getaway vehicle in one or more of the gang's criminal operations.