Найроби превратилась в мировую столицу кражи смартфонов: похищенные устройства переправляют в соседние страны

Forget London, is Nairobi the “phone snatching” capital of the world? Nairobi’s chaotic streets fuel a booming phone‑snatching economy, where thieves, boda bodas and rogue technicians turn stolen devices into cross‑border contraband. In a post made on X (reproduced verbatim), user Onjolo Kenya remarked, “Driving in Nairobi CBD needs skills. Infront of you are people crossing, on your left are four motorbikes, on your right is a thief waiting to snatch your phone if your windows are opened, behind you is a driver in a hurry who is hooting at you nonstop, another begger who pretends to wipe your car yet he is stealing your headlight washer. Its not easy I say.” Comedic as it is, his remarks certainly hold truth. Phone-snatching is exceptionally common, with major urban centres in Nairobi affected the most due to their high population density. Boda boda (motorcycle taxi) riders will often speed past pedestrians on busy streets and have their co-conspirators—posing as passengers—snatch their devices straight from their hands. The resultant shock is enough to give the perpetrators time to escape. What happens next is well-documented by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI). Stolen mobile phones will be handed over to rogue technicians operating in major electronics hubs such as Eastleigh and Tom Mboya Street in Nairobi. The devices are wiped, and passwords erased. As is, most importantly, their International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers, which are often used by the Communications Authority of Kenya to track down stolen or lost phones. They are then placed onto public transit buses and smuggled to neighbouring East African cities such as Kampala (Uganda), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), Kigali (Rwanda), and Bujumbura (Burundi). As the Authority only has access to and jurisdiction over Kenyan communications networks, the devices become exceptionally difficult to track once they cross the border and are effectively considered irretrievable. In the event a higher-end device such as an iPhone is completely locked and cannot have its contents erased, it is delivered to underground laboratories in estates such as Kayole or Dandora and stripped down for its parts. Pieces like the motherboard and screen are then sold as cheap replacement parts for legitimate repair jobs. The epidemic has only grown in recent years, and attempts by citizens to retrieve their phones via appealing to local authorities often prove futile. Consequently, many such crimes go unreported as some citizens view the affair as a waste of effort. In response to Onjolo Kenya’s post, other users shared their own experiences: ‘It’s really stressful out there. Right after the Champions League final, in the blink of an eye, my phone was gone. But instead of cursing my bad luck, I just smiled and impressed by how insanely fast he was. Respect to the pickpocket ninja.’ – @omurgian ‘It’s not easy any slight mistake and you’ll start again from zero if you know what i mean, nairobi is indeed not for the weak bana.’ – @Anguche_ ‘Surviving in this city needs one to have certain set of skills and experiences because it’s not that easy.’ – @_Aminga