Popular car dealer Joseph Kairo Wambui, also known as Khalif Kairo, is once again in the spotlight after being charged with tax fraud. On Monday, Kairo appeared at the Nyeri Law Courts, where he was accused of trying to dodge tax payments totaling Ksh. 1.2 million.
According to the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), Kairo, who owns the car business Kai & Karo Limited, wrongly declared a luxury car to avoid paying the correct customs duty. He allegedly labeled a Range Rover Vogue as a used Range Rover Sport on January 10, 2024, which reduced the duty he was supposed to pay by Ksh. 1,283,830.
Kairo denied the charges and was released on Ksh. 500,000 bond. The court will mention the case again on June 4, 2025. If found guilty, he could face a fine of up to Ksh. 1 million or a prison sentence of up to three years.
This is not the first time Kairo has had legal troubles. He has been arrested and taken to court several times over the past year, mostly for allegedly cheating customers who trusted him with their money. In January, he appeared at the Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi for two separate cases involving large amounts of money.
In one of the cases, a customer claims Kairo took Ksh. 2.1 million between July 10 and 29, 2024, in Westlands, Nairobi, promising to help import a Honda SUV from Japan. The car was never delivered. In the second case, another client paid Ksh. 2.9 million for a Subaru SUV, which also was not delivered. After facing court in January, Kairo was re-arrested over similar complaints.
Prosecutors believe Kairo is a flight risk. They pointed out that just a day before his arrest in January, he had bought a plane ticket to New York. He told police he was going to the U.S. to look for funds and come back to clear the issues.
With multiple charges piling up, Kairo’s troubles seem far from over.
By Yockshard Enyendi