Illegal Car Dealers are used in Money Laundering Schemes – Matiang’i Reveals

Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i now reveals that illegal second-hand car dealers collude with unscrupulous politicians to generate “dirt money” used in criminal activities.

Speaking during the launch of the inaugural Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing National Risk Assessment Report (2021) on Wednesday, July 27, Matiang’i noted that such motor vehicle dealers bribed their way into the industry as they operated without permits.

The CS further said that amid the deadline from the government in phasing out old notes, the car dealers loaded billions of cash money prompting questions about where the money come from.

Under his stewardship, Matiang’i assured Kenyans he would crackdown on all crooked car dealers operating in black markets.

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“Car dealers changed billions of shillings. How many cars do you need to sell to be able to have billions if all these dealers are friends of senior politicians? They are now the ones financing all these KSh200 and KSh500 notes in the villages and so on.”

“I have been fighting people called second-hand motor vehicle dealers. Two-thirds don’t have permits but they are operating because they have paid some of your people and they bribe them every day,” Matiang’i observed.

“We need to scan this environment and see what we need to do in terms of reinforcement,” he said, noting that as a result, the country faced a shortage of KSh200 notes.

Regarding immigration services, Matiang’i said that his ministry will remain vigilant so as to deal with foreigners that are alleged to cooperate with Kenyan politicians.

“Let’s see how we can make frontline institutions in the regulatory infrastructure more effective. If immigration is not effective in terms of the issuance of work permits, we end up with the cases we have been dealing with. “

“I have previously been called to Parliament to defend foreign investors, walking around with senior politicians, who don’t have a bank account.”

“Now we have Venezuelans. If that is not stopped, we will have more problems, “he pointed out.