So you are driving in traffic in the busy roads of Nairobi, and suddenly you cannot see the car behind using your side mirror. This is not because you forgot to take your car to the car wash or there is too much mist; you have just become the newest victim of the side mirror thieves of Nairobi. The theft of side mirrors in this city has been rampant, fueled by the ready market of such parts. Though the police have tried to curb such cases, they remain the biggest worries of motorists especially when in a traffic jam or when parked.
Anti-theft side mirror guard in Nairobi
Image source: http://blog.cheki.co.ke
The thieves have perfected their trade that when they do it, you will not know whether to be amazed or angry. They will wait until you are in a slow moving traffic jam and strike. Most parts of a vehicle, especially the Toyota models, will easily come off unbroken when hit at certain angles, angles these thieve have mastered only too well. Since you are driving in the jam, you will not have the time to chase after the thugs and soon after you stop, other cars will be hooting and in the midst of the noise and confusion, they will disappear via the narrow rat routes nearby.
They also steal side mirrors and other easily detachable parts of the car when you are parking. Some are said to be in cahoots with the city council officers expected to be protecting your cars. There have been a few cases of arrests and some serious shooting occurrences where policemen shot a few side mirror thieves in action. It must be that the business is well paying because even with such news, there are still increasing cases of side mirror theft.
In efforts to protect their valuables, in this case side mirrors, drivers that use the routes around Nairobi have ensured that they reduce the risk of losing these important parts of their cars. One of these ways is to permanently attach the side mirror to the vehicles body using a riveted chain. Looking at the number of vehicles driving by with chains riveted on the side mirrors you can easily come to a conclusion that most people are victims of this crime or have seen other vehicles being terrorized by these thugs.
Nicked side mirror – A frequent occurrence in Kenyan Capital Nairobi
Image source: http://www.xoutpost.com
The riveting of the mirrors takes a few minutes and is done in most garages especially the open air ones. Well, for a small cost, the side mirrors can be protected and in the process, save thousands that would otherwise be used in replacing the mirror after an encounter with the infamous Nairobi side mirror thieves. To effectively solve this problem, we will have to do with the chains which have evolved to look like functional accessories. In the long term, the solution is not only limited to arresting the street kids carrying out this criminal act. Tackling the problem from the root would be more like it. Find the dealers who buy the goods from the thieves and in the process kill this black market permanently.
