Car dealer Khalif Kairo rearrested after attending court session

Popular city car dealer Joseph Kairo Wambui, alias Khalif Kairo, was on Tuesday rearrested shortly after attending a court hearing for one of his other pending cases.

Videos seen by Citizen Digital on Tuesday showed Kairo being escorted to a police vehicle, minutes after coming out of the court.

The renowned businessman allegedly received payment for an SUV but failed to deliver the vehicle to the buyer.

He was previously arraigned early this month on charges of defrauding two clients out of Ksh.2.1 million and Ksh.2.9 million, respectively.

The court heard that Kairo deceived Jeff Kyule Munane between July 10 and July 29, 2024, in Westlands, Nairobi where his company, Kai & Karo Limited, collected Ksh.2,145,150 under the pretence of facilitating the importation of a Honda Vezel Hybrid from Japan, which was never delivered.

In another incident, the businessman is accused of obtaining Ksh.2.9 million from Dona Ayalo Okoth 'through a fraudulent trick,' claiming to be in a position to import a Subaru Outback.

The second incident occurred in July of last year, and detectives said the car has yet to be delivered despite being paid in full.

During the hearing on January 13, the prosecution presented an affidavit from investigating officer Esther Mburu, who opposed bail on the grounds that Kairo is a significant flight risk. 

Citing his dramatic arrest three days before, the affidavit stated that granting bail would jeopardise the judicial process, claiming that Kairo's actions indicated a pattern of deliberate deception.

The prosecution further pointed out that the accused has the means and potential to evade justice if released, citing his alleged history of involvement in fraudulent schemes.

The court heard that the accused purchased an airline ticket on January 10, 2025, a day before his arrest, and was scheduled to fly to New York, USA on January 12, 2025.

The police are said to have nabbed him after he allegedly failed to convince the victim that he was planning a trip to New York to secure funds and return to settle the matter.

Kairo was apprehended on January 11, 2025, and has been in custody since. 

Car dealer Joseph ‘Khalif Kairo’ Wambui rearrested shortly after attending a court session pic.twitter.com/e6UT4lOUWa— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) January 28, 2025