Car hijacking has been on the rise in Kenya with motorists falling prey to hijackers who either pose as beautiful ladies who have got a flat tyre, a planned accident, a lonely child, or people who just want to hike a lift and then later on turn on you. Today, we delved into vehicles which are most susceptible to hijacking.
1.Vitz
Out of the many cars hijacked in Kenyan roads, Vitz owners have always been the victims. This is is because the hijackers think that the owners are majorly women who can’t protect/defend themselves. A Vitz is also easier to flag down because of its size.
2.Toyota IST
This is also a small private car which falls prey to hijackers many times. Owners of “smaller” vehicles are advised to avoid lonely routes at night and to have at least a weapon or an extra passenger in the car with them.
3.Toyota Auris, Belta and Wish
Toyota models seem to be the preferred target for hijackers. They are easy to break in and easy to manipulate in matters body and colour change after being stolen. They can be easily repainted.
4.Mazda Demio
Size gives this one away too, just like Vitz. Mazda Demios are also majorly owned by women who are very easy to hijack because they can’t put up a fight
5. Subaru Impreza
Many people associate owners or drivers of this car as “childish”, with those blaring horns, oversized bumpers and loud exhaust pipes, hence hijackers mostly pick them as soft targets and milk them of whatever they have.
6. Public Service Vehicles
Hijackers hijack this Psvs in lonely areas and get everybody out, ransack them and take all valuables from them before disappearing into the bushes. This was common back then but now it’s rampant in the Northern parts of Kenya.
Have a look at hijackers terrorizing passengers of a matatu and some Red cross personnel here in Kenya.
Trailers sometimes also get hijacked but not so frequently, but sometimes, drivers transport precious goods collude with hijackers to hijack the trailer and then later share the loot. Data report shows that vehicles whose value is below Sh1 million are more likely to fall prey to hijackers than those priced above Sh.1 million.
More experienced hijackers hijack high end vehicles in rare cases like BMW, Mercedes and Range Rover, but normally they are not hijacked because owner may be licenced gun owners and tables can turn
