You could, unknowingly, be sharing the same car registration number with someone else.
The recent terror attack at DusitD2 Hotel brought to light this illegal and fast-growing concern.
Collins Okeya had not anticipated that a trip to MP Shah Hospital in Nairobi to have his eight-month-old daughter treated would lead to the discovery that has left him confused.
“As I was parking my car at the hospital’s parking lot, I noticed a car with the same registration number as my own. I was so shocked I stood there for sometime to ascertain what I was seeing,” Okeya said.
In the parking lot was a Toyota Harrier, pearl white in colour. It had the same registration number as Collin’s Subaru Legacy, KBZ 142 F.
Okeya immediately notified the hospital security and the police. He stayed at the parking lot to see who owned the other car.
“I saw a man of Somali origin, heading towards the Harrier and I approached him to know more about the vehicle. He said the car belonged to him,” he said.
The owner of the Harrier said he had bought it the previous week from a dealer. He said the dealer was not well known to him.
On probing further, Okeya told the police that the man told him that he had not yet been given the logbook and only identified the seller by one name.
details changed
“I asked the hospital security officers not to allow the car out of the compound as we waited for police officers to arrive at the scene,” he said.
Officers from nearby Parklands police station impounded the two vehicles as investigations started. This was not the first time Okeya had reported to authorities about suspicious activities involving his car.
no action taken
On December 5, last year, he said he noticed changes on his details in the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) public portal, Tiems.
“The brand of my car had changed from Subaru to Toyota and the colour had also been altered from purple grey to pearl white,” he explained.
“I immediately reported to the NTSA, but no action was taken. The officers asked me to come back after a week as they sorted out the matter. A week later and subsequent visits, nothing had been done,” he said.
Since he was working over the festive season, Collins said he had planned to take leave and follow up on the matter before he coincidentally met the owner of the car with the same registration number as his.
Okeya, who bought his car in 2016, says he is unable to log onto his Tiems account and is waiting for police directive. “I have not been able to log in since morning. Every time I attempt, I get a response that my account does not exist.”
This is not the only case. Cafe Deli restaurants owner Obado Obadoh said his company’s Tiems account included a motorbike, which he has never owned.
Confirmed the incident
“I have never owned a motorcycle, but Tiems account claims my company has one. For years now, no action has been taken,” he said.
Head of Flying Squad Musa Yego confirmed the incident. He said the case is still under investigations to ascertain who was behind the fraud and how it happened.
“The case is under investigations as we piece together where the fraud happened and bring to book the people behind it,” Yego said.