Carjackers are becoming more brazen in Nairobi, working together to hit several cars in succession on sprees designed not to steal the vehicles but to rob as many occupants as possible. One band has been working the Westlands and Parklands areas for the past month between the hours of 5 and 7 p.m., starting in the lower Parklands and carjacking three or four vehicles before abandoning the last one and taking a minibus into town. A gruesome twist in such assaults is the willingness of the crooks to chop off victims’ fingers to get their rings. A French tourist out for a walk had this happen to him recently, and a woman reported carjackers warning her they would do this if she didn’t remove her ring quickly. Wear as little jewelry as possible and be sure what you do wear can be quickly removed.
