The Association of Kenya Insurers has released the latest report on stolen motor vehicles in 2024 providing key insights into vehicle theft trends, risk factors, and recovery rates. The data, compiled by the Association from 1st January 2024 to 31st December 2024, aims to enhance security measures and reduce fraud through informing underwriters before issuing insurance certificates for previously stolen vehicles.

Decline in Motor Vehicle Thefts

The report indicates a total of 327 motor vehicles were stolen in 2024, marking a significant 28% decline from the 419 reported in 2023. The reduction suggests improved security measures and increased vigilance among vehicle owners and law enforcement agencies.

Key Findings

Vehicle Registration Trends- Vehicles with registration numbers beginning with KDs were the most stolen (50.15%), followed by KCs (35.17%), KBs (10.40%), and KAs (1.83%).

Most Targeted Vehicle Makes-Toyota remains the most frequently stolen brand, accounting for 54.91% of reported cases. Other targeted makes include, Isuzu (12.88%), Mazda (7.06%), Nissan (5.83%) and Mitsubishi (3.99%).

Vehicle Body Types at Risk- Station wagons continue to be the most stolen type of vehicle, representing 67.80% of all thefts. Other commonly targeted body types include, Lorries (11.46%), Saloons (6.81%) and Pick-ups (3.72%).

Vehicle Colour and Theft Patterns-The report highlights that white vehicles were the most stolen (39.80%), followed by silver (16.72%) and black (15.38%).

Insurance Value of Stolen Vehicles -Most stolen vehicles had an insured value of less than one million Kenya shillings (32.52%). Those between Ksh1m and 2M represented 26.07%, and those above 3Million represented 27.3%. The most expensive vehicle reported stolen was a Mitsubishi Lorry valued at Ksh12.2 million.

Circumstances of Theft- Theft of parts was the highest at 54.28%. Those stolen while parked were at 31.91% and hijackings were at 7.24%.

Recovery Rates Remain Low- Despite the decline in thefts, recovery rates remain a concern, with only 15.92% of stolen vehicles successfully recovered. However, this was an improvement from the previous year recovery rate of 11.72%

This data is integrated into AKI’s Insurance Motor Database System (IMIDS) that alerts underwriters before issuing certificates for vehicles reported stolen.

The findings highlight the importance of enhanced security measures, real-time tracking systems, and continued collaboration between law enforcement agencies, insurance companies, and vehicle owners.