Police in Nyandarua have arrested a man who, for four years, drove his car using number plate he bought from a motor vehicle scrap yard.
Solomom Kairu confessed to police that he bought the vehicle number plate from a motor vehicle scrapyard in Athi River in 2018 after failing to get registration of the vehicle that originally had number plates of a neighbouring country.
He told the multi-agency security team that he had bought the vehicle, a Toyota Rav4, in South Sudan where he used to run a tyre business.
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He said the original registration number for the vehicle was SSD 531B and that he bought the Kenyan number plate KAN 415P after finding it difficult to have the car registered locally.
Kairu had already been arrested for dealing in contraband alcohol in his home in Michore village, North Kinangop which he sold at his African Malewa Resort.
Police say he has been manufacturing Muratina at his home but packages it as imported from Uganda by using forged Kenya/Uganda customs rubber stamps.
It is when the police went back to the suspect’s drinking joint business to carry out further investigations that they stumbled on the suspicious car.
They recovered an expired South Sudanese vehicle license showing the vehicle was registered in the country in 2019.
The police have reported the matter to Interpol and NTSA for verification to see if the vehicle is among those that find their way into the country after being stolen in other countries.
Kairu was also among suspects arrested in a police swoop on illegal alcoholic drinks businesses during the Christmas festive period.
“We will not rest until all illegal alcoholic businesses in the county are stamped out,” Nyandarua County Commissioner Amos Mariba said.
