A heap of used mobile phones.
Mobile phones stolen from major towns in Kenya find their way into Ugandan, Tanzanian, Rwandan and Burundian markets, the Nation can reveal.
Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have bust a sophisticated cross-border syndicate linked to a complex web of tech savvy criminals who reset and modify phones stolen from major towns like Nairobi, Nakuru, Mombasa, Kisumu and Eldoret before they are sold in the black market.
Phone theft is no longer the preserve of dirty street urchins and crooked men in the streets. The syndicate now involves women and men who draw minimal suspicion of being criminals.
The recent arrest of seven suspects in Nairobi with 150 stolen phones has lifted the lid on how sophisticated and attractive the phone theft syndicates have become.
Seven suspects
In the operation, conducted on January 23, in Nairobi, spearheaded by the DCI's elite Operation Support Unit (OSU), seven suspects were arrested and more than 150 stolen phones recovered.
Raids in Shauri Moyo, the Nairobi Central Business District, and Kasarani unearthed over 150 high-end smartphones, 16 tablets and six laptops — gadgets ripped from the hands of terrified Nairobians in traffic jams and matatus.
According to DCI director Mohamed Amin, some of the recovered devices appeared to have been tampered with through ‘flashing’ and factory resets, while others still contained details believed to belong to their original owners.
"Some gadgets were dismantled and sold as spare parts, making it difficult to trace them despite ongoing investigations into reported theft cases," Mr Amin said, adding that similar operations were being carried out in other areas.
"We are coming for the technicians who flash these phones and the individuals who help transport them to neighbouring countries," he revealed.
Among those arrested in the latest raid, is a Ugandan national, believed to be the leader of the logistics chain.
Operating from a hideout in Shauri Moyo, the Ugandan is said to have been coordinating the movement of devices from Kenyan snatchers to black market buyers across the border.
Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Mohammed Amin.
"She acts as the link. Once a phone is snatched on Moi Avenue, it is flashed, repackaged, and put on a bus to Kampala within 24 hours. This rapid transit makes recovery nearly impossible for the average victim," revealed a DCI source.
A search in her residence led to the recovery of 75 assorted mobile phones packed in boxes sealed in yellow tape, as well as two laptops.
Investigators said she is suspected of acting as a link between receivers in Kenya and buyers in Uganda. Another Ugandan was also arrested in Shauri Moyo, while a Kenyan suspect was arrested at his shop along Ronald Ngala Street.
On November 5,2025, Nyeri police arrested three suspects at a mobile phone repair shop and recovered 417 smartphones and 47 SIM cards.
On October 14,2023, police in Nairobi arrested two Kenyans and two Ugandans with 13 stolen smartphones. The suspects led the police to a cellphone repair shop in Nairobi's CBD where technicians reset the memories of stolen phones.
In another incident a few years ago, detectives arrested a suspect with 265 stolen iPhones and 10 Android phones in Kasarani.
On September 7 2023, DCI detectives arrested a man suspected of orchestrating the theft of mobile phones in Nairobi city. DCI said the suspect ran a second-hand mobile phone shop in the city centre, where hundreds of stolen handsets were recovered.
Also recovered were a software installation device, external storage devices and a universal phone flashing dongle.
Recovered mobile phones and other computer accessories displayed at DCI office in Nakuru town on February 9, 2021.
Cross-border crime
A senior detective at the DCI on Monday revealed to the Nation, that investigations have revealed that phone snatching has evolved from petty theft, to a sophisticated and well organised cross-border crime.
"The cross-border syndicate is a flash-and-dash method to evade detection. Major cities in Kenya, including Nairobi, Nakuru, Kisumu, Mombasa and Eldoret serve as hubs where the mobile phones are stolen, collected and prepared for transport to cities with a high demand for cheap handsets such as Kampala, Bujumbura, Dar es Salaam and Kigali," revealed the DCI detective.
"The mobile phones and other devices are stolen from the public in Kenyan towns and cities by snatchers, pickpockets and muggers, often operating on motorcycles. They are then taken to local shops, often disguised as repair shops where tech-savvy individuals use specialised equipment to interfere with the operating systems through factory resets or flashing to delete data. The technicians also change the phones' unique International Mobile Equipment Identify (IMEI) numbers to prevent them from being traced or blacklisted by Kenyan authorities," further revealed the DCI detective.
According to the officer, once the phones IMEI numbers are changed, they are repackaged and transported to neighbouring countries through public transport vehicles (PSVs ) or private high-end vehicles to conceal the trade.
"Some of the phones and devices like lap tops are dismantled for spare parts, which are also sold. Once across the border, the phones are supplied to backstreet shops in major East African cities and towns, where they are sold cheaply to locals, unaware of the phones origin," explained the DCI detective.
Ready market
Also Read: Beware who sells you that fancy phone
Investigations by the DCI reveal that ready market for the mobile phones and other devices in the East African cities and towns has been fuelling the vice.
Inconsistent legal frameworks and lack of harmonised systems for flagging down stolen devices among East African countries, further create vulnerabilities that criminals exploit.
"In Kampala for instance, a simple Tecno cellphone can be sold at Sh4,000 (USD 40) only," he told the Nation.
DCI detectives are now working to dismantle the sophisticated black-market networks.
"We are working with telecommunications companies in East Africa and soon data on blacklisted phones will be shared and criminals will have a difficult time advancing their trade. We have also sought the help of Interpol to curb the smuggling of stolen phones and devices to other East African countries," further revealed the officer.
However, authorities say that some of the cases of phone theft go unreported, making it difficult to apprehend the criminals.
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