Carjackers ‘lose their kill’ as vehicle crashes moments after theft

Two carjackers escaped with undisclosed injuries after this car they had carjacked from Nyeri – Karatina highway was remotely locked by the owner and overturned. (Photo Mose Sammy/Standard)

By Lydiah Nyawira

Nyeri, Kenya: A taxi driver escaped death narrowly after two men posing as passengers stole his vehicle and crashed as they made their getaway.

Alpha Mahindu, a taxi operator based in Nyeri town, narrated to The Standard how two smartly dressed young men approached him at the taxi bay asking him to take them to Wariruta Waterfall where some foreigners were waiting to be taken to Nanyuki Town.

“They did not seem suspicious and on our way there I stopped the car to answer the call of nature in a nearby bush but when I turned around I saw them driving off with my car,” Mahindu said.

He immediately called his employer and asked him to activate the car security system which would also disable the car.

“I asked the boda boda rider to pursue the vehicle which sped off towards Karatina on the Nyeri- Karatina Highway,” Mahindu said.

When they got to Gatura area they found the Toyota Sienta KBW 028W had crashed and landed in the Gatura valley after rolling several times.

Josephine Njoroge who was tending to her farm in Gatura said that the car was driving at high speed when it went off the road and landed on its side.

“It lost control and went off the road and into the steep valley then we saw two men crawl out of the wreckage and walk to the road, one of them was smartly dressed in a black suit,” Ms Njoroge said

Witnesses at the scene said two men then flagged down a boda boda and sped off towards Karatina.

Mahindu arrived at the scene and tried to trace where the two had gone.

“The car is damaged but at least I am alive, if I had been in that car maybe they would have done worse to me or I would have died in the road accident,” Mahindu said.

Nyeri Traffic Commandant Reuben Bett said the CID are investigating the incident.