City car dealer Khalif Kairo faces Sh1.2 million tax fraud charges

A Nyeri Law Court charged city businessman Joseph Kairo Wambui, also known as Khalif Kairo, with tax fraud amounting to Sh1.2 million.

The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) alleges that Wambui, owner of the car dealership Kai & Karo Limited, deliberately misclassified a Range Rover Vogue as a used Range Rover Sport on January 10, 2024, in an attempt to avoid paying customs duty totaling Sh1,283,830.

He faces charges of knowingly participating in the fraudulent evasion of customs duty payments.

Wambui pleaded not guilty and was released on a Sh500,000 bond.

The case is set for mention on June 4, 2025.

If convicted, the businessman faces a prison sentence of up to three years or a fine not exceeding Sh1 million.

Over the past year, Wambui has been arrested, rearrested, and arraigned multiple times on allegations of defrauding his customers.

In January, he appeared before Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi, accused of cheating two clients of Sh2.1 million and Sh2.9 million respectively.

Court documents reveal that between July 10 and 29, 2024, in Westlands, Nairobi, Kairo allegedly tricked a customer by promising to import a Honda SUV from Japan, which was never delivered.

In a separate case, he is charged with taking payment for a Subaru SUV in July 2024, but detectives say the vehicle was never handed over despite full payment.

He was rearrested later that month following a court appearance on similar fraud allegations.

Prosecutors have also flagged Wambui as a flight risk, capable of evading justice if released.

For instance, a day before his January 11 arrest, the court heard that he had bought a ticket to fly to New York on January 12.

Police reported that Wambui told them he planned to travel to New York to secure funds before returning to resolve the case.