A man accused of orchestrating a scheme targeting unsuspecting Uber drivers has been arrested after allegedly robbing two victims at knifepoint in South B, Makadara Sub-county.
Noel Eugine Papa is facing two counts of theft. In the first incident, on May 1, 2026, he is accused of stealing a Samsung mobile phone valued at Sh17,000 from driver Samson Kiarie in the Sana Sana area.
A week later, on May 8, he allegedly robbed another driver, Batholomeo Mbugua, of a Redmi phone worth Sh14,000 in the Sore Drive area, using violence and threats.
Papa’s modus operandi was reportedly consistent. In the first case, Kiarie received a ride request to pick up the suspect from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and drop him at Mater Hospital, where he claimed his brother had been admitted.
While at the hospital, Papa asked the driver to wait, then returned requesting transport to an apartment in South B to collect documents allegedly required by the hospital. En route, he claimed he had forgotten his phone at the hospital bedside and asked to borrow Kiarie’s device to make calls and confirm directions.
Trusting his passenger, Kiarie handed over the phone. Upon arrival, Papa stepped out of the vehicle while the driver was parking and vanished.
A week later, Papa allegedly struck again, this time targeting Mbugua, who picked him up from the Kilimani area to South B.
When Mbugua demanded his phone back and payment after a ride, the suspect turned aggressive.
He allegedly strangled the driver, snatched the phone from his jacket and threatened him with a knife before fleeing. Later that day, Mbugua spotted Papa walking along the roadside. He raised an alarm, and with the help of bystanders, the suspect was apprehended and escorted to the police station.