Prominent city car dealer Joseph Kairo Wambui, popularly known as Khalif Kairo, was on Monday charged with tax fraud amounting to Ksh.1.2 million at the Nyeri Law Courts.
According to the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), Kairo, who owns the luxury vehicle dealership Kai & Karo Limited, is accused of deliberately misdeclaring a high-end Range Rover Vogue as a used Range Rover Sport on January 10, 2024, in a bid to evade customs duty worth Ksh.1,283,830.
Wambui was formally charged with being knowingly concerned in the fraudulent evasion of duty payment, a serious offense under Kenya’s tax laws. He pleaded not guilty and was released on a bond of Ksh.500,000. The case will be mentioned on June 4, 2025.
If found guilty, the businessman faces a fine not exceeding Ksh.1 million or a prison term of up to three years.
This is not Wambui’s first brush with the law. Over the past year, he has been arrested, rearrested, and arraigned multiple times over allegations of defrauding clients through his car import business. In January 2025, he appeared at the Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi over claims that he swindled two customers out of Ksh.2.1 million and Ksh.2.9 million respectively by promising to import vehicles that were never delivered.
Court documents allege that between July 10 and July 29, 2024, Kairo obtained money from one client in Westlands, Nairobi, under the pretense of importing a Honda SUV from Japan. In a separate incident, he is said to have taken full payment for a Subaru SUV but failed to deliver the vehicle.
Authorities have previously flagged Wambui as a potential flight risk. Notably, the prosecution revealed that a day before his January arrest, he had purchased a ticket to New York, with plans to leave the country on January 12. Police claim he admitted the trip was intended to secure funds to resolve his legal troubles.
Kairo’s growing list of legal battles has cast a shadow over his business empire, with investigators keeping a close eye on his dealings as court proceedings continue.
Written By Rodney Mbua
