Occupants of vehicles driving behind Kasarani MP Ronald Karauri get back to their cars after helping him close his passenger door. /SCREENGRAB
Kasarani MP Ronald Karauri has dismissed social media claims that an incident captured on the Nairobi Expressway was a brazen attack on motorists by goons.
A short clip circulating widely online shows several young men alighting from another vehicle and crowding around a white Subaru before scattering in different directions.
The footage sparked claims that the men were suspected goons staging a daytime highway robbery, triggering concern among Nairobi motorists.
“My question is, why would you even stop there?” one user asked.
“Utter lawlessness. There used to be AP officers on expressway why were they removed?” another said.
But Karauri moved to clarify what happened, saying he was a passenger in the white vehicle captured in the video.
“I just want to clarify that I'm actually the one who was on the Expressway in the white car, in fact I was in the passenger side. I just want to calm everybody down that these are not goons,” he said in a video message.
The SportPesa co-founder said he was returning from a meeting with fellow Nairobians when the passenger door of the vehicle developed a problem.
“Apparently in that particular car as long as you're moving, you cannot close the doors,” he said.
He said he was forced to stop on the Expressway after becoming concerned about the door.
“So, I was in a bit of distress so I had to actually stop right there on the Expressway and when they saw me stop they came to help me. We managed to close the door and we proceed on. So just to clarify, these are not goons, these are normal Nairobi people.”
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has also said preliminary investigations have established that the incident was not a robbery.
In a statement, the DCI said detectives from Kilimani were investigating the video, which purported to show motorists being robbed along the Nairobi Expressway.
The agency said those depicted in the clip, including the alleged victim, had been identified, summoned and their statements recorded.
“Preliminary investigations, based on the recorded statements, indicate that the incident was not a robbery,” the DCI said.
The alleged victim was identified as Karauri, the Kasarani MP.
The DCI said further inquiries were under way to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident as well as document all relevant facts.
The clarification came after the video triggered fears over security on the highway, with some users warning that such an incident could damage Kenya's image and potentially prompt travel advisories.
“EU and USA travel advisory loading and that will hit everyone. Express is used by everyone as it severs JKIA,” one user said.
“What is the purpose of all those cameras along the express way ama ni urembo tu? The audacity,” another said.
The Nairobi Expressway is a 27.1-kilometre highway connecting Jomo Kenyatta International Airport with the Nairobi-Nakuru highway at the James Gichuru - Waiyaki Way - Red Hill Link Road.
The highway is fenced to restrict unauthorised access, while much of its route is elevated above the existing road network.
Surveillance cameras are installed at various points along the corridor, while security personnel and police units are stationed at strategic locations, including underpasses.
The security measures are intended to monitor movement along the highway and deter unauthorised access and other incidents.
