Car thefts up at washing bays
Dec 22, 2007
AS car-jacking becomes harder due to tight security, motor vehicle thieves have worked out non-violent means of stealing cars. The Police has warned that a new breed of thieves duplicate keys of cars that have been taken to washing bays, garages, hired for self drive or lent out. Others pose as car
By Herbert Ssempogo
AS car-jacking becomes harder due to tight security, motor vehicle thieves have worked out non-violent means of stealing cars. The Police has warned that a new breed of thieves duplicate keys of cars that have been taken to washing bays, garages, hired for self drive or lent out. Others pose as car washers and then vanish with vehicles presented to them for washing.
One recent victim, Mark Kisa Luyima, a driver at the Joint Clinical Research Centre, had after five years of a frugal lifestyle characterised by a shoe string budget, used his savings to buy a Toyota Corona (kibina) last year.
But the dream car, UAH 715U, did not last long. The man entrusted with the task of washing it at a washing bay drove it away, and it was never seen again.
“I took my vehicle there and a man called Moses Kiiza booked to wash it. I went back to pick it half an hour later but he was not there and efforts to trace it have been futile so far,†says Luyima, a.k.a Brown.
Another victim is the manager of an international organisation, who lost a land cruiser at a washing bay last month. Security leads indicate that the car was taken to Sudan.
The Police say theft of vehicles has increased over the past couple of months, with cars worth millions of shillings disappearing without a trace.
Between August and November last year, a total of 140 cars worth over sh1b were stolen in Kampala, Police statistics received by Saturday Vision revealed. During the same period this year, car thefts have almost doubled.
A total of 220 vehicles valued at over sh1.8b were stolen in Kampala and its suburbs from August to November. In August, 58 vehicles were stolen, 63 in September, 47 in October while 52 were stolen in November. Sixteen people have since been arrested and there are 13 cases in court.
The Kampala Extra Police spokesman, Simeo Nsubuga, attributes most of the thefts to crooked car washers who duplicate car keys left behind by motorists at washing bays. Some simply drive off a car that has been left for washing, while the majority make a copy of the keys, follow up the owner and steal the vehicle wherever it is parked.
Washing bays, night parking yards and hotel and bar parking slots were cited as the areas from which vehicles are often stolen. Most vehicles were taken from the central business district.
The thieves then remove all the valuable spare parts, often valued at between sh5m and sh10m, then abandon the car, or drive it off to other countries like Sudan and DR Congo.
According to Nsubuga, the kanaabes (car washers) place a vehicle key on a wet piece of soap, which enables them to get the shape of the key.
“They then dash to the key cutters and make copies,†he explains, adding that the men then track the vehicle. “As soon as it is parked somewhere, the thieves majestically walk to where the owner left it and drive off.â€
The most stolen vehicles are Toyota Coronas, Toyota Corolla, Rav 4, Toyota Surfs, Prados, Land Cruisers and Toyota Hiace (kigeges). Most of the stolen four-wheel drive cars are re-sprayed and taken to Sudan, where the demand is very high. Other cars and minibuses are dismantled and parts sold as second-hand spares.
Nsubuga cautions motorists against leaving their car keys at washing bays. However, a man at Boston Washing bay located along Buganda Road says they usually need the keys so that they are able to move a car from one spot to another during the washing process.
“Look at me. I am a sincere man and I work hard for what I eat but some crooks have infiltrated our business and they are spoiling our name,†he says. “We cannot deny it; some people could be in the business for the wrong reasons.â€
Other people who connive with thieves to steal cars are those who hire them for long periods, during which they duplicate keys. Also in this class are those who hire Mercedes Benz vehicles and Pajeros for weddings and other functions and in the process duplicate keys.
Parking yards dotted all over Kampala are not safe either. A commuter taxi driver told Saturday Vision that thugs use master keys to open vehicles and drive them to a safe place, before stripping them of most spare parts like cylinder heads, driving shafts and gear boxes, among others.
A case in point is a commuter taxi that was grabbed from Kibuye, a city suburb and later abandoned in Nansana on Hoima Road, minus items worth sh5m.
In the last one month, Saturday Vision learnt that at least three commuter taxis were stolen from different Kampala parking yards that charge sh1,000 per night as a security fee. Typically, they are vandalised and abandoned.
Garages connive with thieves to make copies of keys. They also help the thieves to vandalise, hide or re-spray stolen cars. Others also help thieves sell the spares.
Car dealers have also been implicated in the theft of vehicles. They sell a car, retain a copy of the key, track down the buyer and steal the vehicle from where it is parked. Friends, relatives and colleagues should also not be trusted as they could duplicate the keys.
Nsubuga disclosed that roadside car dealers are also partly responsible for rampant vehicle thefts.
He told Saturday Vision that a new vehicle should have three keys but dealers with no particular address often give the buyer one key. “When you drive off, they trail you and use the spare keys to steal the vehicle,†he said. Many such dealers are found along Wilson, Luwum and William streets.
The Police Commissioner for Crime, Elly Womanya, cited Juba in southern Sudan as one of the areas where the stolen cars are sold.
Nsubuga advises drivers to always wait for their vehicles as they are being cleaned instead of entrusting their vehicles with kanaabes.
“Drivers should also change their locks after buying a vehicle so that the keys that open the doors are different from those that start it. This will keep people from getting in,†he added.
According to Nsubuga, the registration and control of businesses like washing bays is the responsibility of city authorities such as Kampala City Council. Nsubuga says city authorities should inspect a place before someone turns it into a washing bay. The city authority should also vet the people who work there. “For example, such places should have a fence and the employees should not be criminals waiting to steal clients’ vehicles,†says Nsubuga.
Kampala City Council (KCC) spokesperson, Simon Muhumuza, admits that most of the washing bays in the city are “illegalâ€. But he says they have recently put in place a law that will enable them regulate the washing bays. Never-the-less, he says KCC is not liable for thefts at washing bays and night parking yards. “That matter cannot be solved by us because it is the responsibility of the car owner and washing bay proprietor to ensure that car is safe,†he argues.
AS car-jacking becomes harder due to tight security, motor vehicle thieves have worked out non-violent means of stealing cars. The Police has warned that a new breed of thieves duplicate keys of cars that have been taken to washing bays, garages, hired for self drive or lent out. Others pose as car washers and then vanish with vehicles presented to them for washing.
One recent victim, Mark Kisa Luyima, a driver at the Joint Clinical Research Centre, had after five years of a frugal lifestyle characterised by a shoe string budget, used his savings to buy a Toyota Corona (kibina) last year.
But the dream car, UAH 715U, did not last long. The man entrusted with the task of washing it at a washing bay drove it away, and it was never seen again.
“I took my vehicle there and a man called Moses Kiiza booked to wash it. I went back to pick it half an hour later but he was not there and efforts to trace it have been futile so far,†says Luyima, a.k.a Brown.
Another victim is the manager of an international organisation, who lost a land cruiser at a washing bay last month. Security leads indicate that the car was taken to Sudan.
The Police say theft of vehicles has increased over the past couple of months, with cars worth millions of shillings disappearing without a trace.
Between August and November last year, a total of 140 cars worth over sh1b were stolen in Kampala, Police statistics received by Saturday Vision revealed. During the same period this year, car thefts have almost doubled.
A total of 220 vehicles valued at over sh1.8b were stolen in Kampala and its suburbs from August to November. In August, 58 vehicles were stolen, 63 in September, 47 in October while 52 were stolen in November. Sixteen people have since been arrested and there are 13 cases in court.
The Kampala Extra Police spokesman, Simeo Nsubuga, attributes most of the thefts to crooked car washers who duplicate car keys left behind by motorists at washing bays. Some simply drive off a car that has been left for washing, while the majority make a copy of the keys, follow up the owner and steal the vehicle wherever it is parked.
Washing bays, night parking yards and hotel and bar parking slots were cited as the areas from which vehicles are often stolen. Most vehicles were taken from the central business district.
The thieves then remove all the valuable spare parts, often valued at between sh5m and sh10m, then abandon the car, or drive it off to other countries like Sudan and DR Congo.
According to Nsubuga, the kanaabes (car washers) place a vehicle key on a wet piece of soap, which enables them to get the shape of the key.
“They then dash to the key cutters and make copies,†he explains, adding that the men then track the vehicle. “As soon as it is parked somewhere, the thieves majestically walk to where the owner left it and drive off.â€
The most stolen vehicles are Toyota Coronas, Toyota Corolla, Rav 4, Toyota Surfs, Prados, Land Cruisers and Toyota Hiace (kigeges). Most of the stolen four-wheel drive cars are re-sprayed and taken to Sudan, where the demand is very high. Other cars and minibuses are dismantled and parts sold as second-hand spares.
Nsubuga cautions motorists against leaving their car keys at washing bays. However, a man at Boston Washing bay located along Buganda Road says they usually need the keys so that they are able to move a car from one spot to another during the washing process.
“Look at me. I am a sincere man and I work hard for what I eat but some crooks have infiltrated our business and they are spoiling our name,†he says. “We cannot deny it; some people could be in the business for the wrong reasons.â€
Other people who connive with thieves to steal cars are those who hire them for long periods, during which they duplicate keys. Also in this class are those who hire Mercedes Benz vehicles and Pajeros for weddings and other functions and in the process duplicate keys.
Parking yards dotted all over Kampala are not safe either. A commuter taxi driver told Saturday Vision that thugs use master keys to open vehicles and drive them to a safe place, before stripping them of most spare parts like cylinder heads, driving shafts and gear boxes, among others.
A case in point is a commuter taxi that was grabbed from Kibuye, a city suburb and later abandoned in Nansana on Hoima Road, minus items worth sh5m.
In the last one month, Saturday Vision learnt that at least three commuter taxis were stolen from different Kampala parking yards that charge sh1,000 per night as a security fee. Typically, they are vandalised and abandoned.
Garages connive with thieves to make copies of keys. They also help the thieves to vandalise, hide or re-spray stolen cars. Others also help thieves sell the spares.
Car dealers have also been implicated in the theft of vehicles. They sell a car, retain a copy of the key, track down the buyer and steal the vehicle from where it is parked. Friends, relatives and colleagues should also not be trusted as they could duplicate the keys.
Nsubuga disclosed that roadside car dealers are also partly responsible for rampant vehicle thefts.
He told Saturday Vision that a new vehicle should have three keys but dealers with no particular address often give the buyer one key. “When you drive off, they trail you and use the spare keys to steal the vehicle,†he said. Many such dealers are found along Wilson, Luwum and William streets.
The Police Commissioner for Crime, Elly Womanya, cited Juba in southern Sudan as one of the areas where the stolen cars are sold.
Nsubuga advises drivers to always wait for their vehicles as they are being cleaned instead of entrusting their vehicles with kanaabes.
“Drivers should also change their locks after buying a vehicle so that the keys that open the doors are different from those that start it. This will keep people from getting in,†he added.
According to Nsubuga, the registration and control of businesses like washing bays is the responsibility of city authorities such as Kampala City Council. Nsubuga says city authorities should inspect a place before someone turns it into a washing bay. The city authority should also vet the people who work there. “For example, such places should have a fence and the employees should not be criminals waiting to steal clients’ vehicles,†says Nsubuga.
Kampala City Council (KCC) spokesperson, Simon Muhumuza, admits that most of the washing bays in the city are “illegalâ€. But he says they have recently put in place a law that will enable them regulate the washing bays. Never-the-less, he says KCC is not liable for thefts at washing bays and night parking yards. “That matter cannot be solved by us because it is the responsibility of the car owner and washing bay proprietor to ensure that car is safe,†he argues.