- Celebrity photographer Paul Kariuki was robbed of his iPhone by a boda boda rider during a photoshoot with one of his clients
- Speaking to TUKO.co.ke, Paul provided a detailed account of how the robbery occurred and why he was unable to chase the thief
- He also shared CCTV footage capturing the incident at a petrol station in Upper Hill, along with tracking data showing where his phone ended up
In recent weeks, Nairobi has seen a worrying rise in mobile phone thefts, particularly cases involving boda boda riders targeting unsuspecting victims.
Source: Facebook
Some of these incidents have been caught on CCTV, yet the perpetrators often vanish with the stolen devices, never to be traced again.
The latest victim of this growing trend is celebrity photographer Paul Kariuki, widely known online as Paulace 7.
How was Paul’s phone stolen?
The creative, famed for his stunning work with top brands and celebrities, lost his phone on the night of November 25 at around midnight at a petrol station opposite the Kenya National Library in Upper Hill.
According to Paul, he was in the middle of shooting some of his celebrity clients against the petrol station backdrop when two boda boda riders pulled in.
CCTV footage he shared showed one rider in yellow exiting on the far end of the station, while the second, dressed in blue, made a sharp U-turn inside the premises and targeted him.
Paul, who was holding his phone, was caught off guard as the rider accelerated towards him and swiftly grabbed the device before speeding off, leaving the photographer momentarily shocked and confused.
In an exclusive interview with TUKO.co.ke, Paul narrated the moments that followed and how his attempt to chase the thieves failed.
“Being midnight and the roads being super empty was why my first instinct was to try and chase them. But because Miss Njagi hadn’t fully closed the door while placing her bag, the ambient lights in the car stayed on and drained the battery. It didn’t start when I tried to launch it. I knew I could get to them because there was no car on the road,” he said.
Paul lost an iPhone 13 Pro, which he later traced to an area known as Mutarakwa Road.
Despite the lead, he chose not to pursue recovery and instead bought a new phone.
“I bought a 14 Pro the next day because I can’t afford to stay offline for more than 12 hours because of work,” he explained.
Watch the video below:
Netizens react to Paul’s experience
His experience has sparked renewed concern among Nairobians, with many raising alarm over the rise in similar incidents.
Here are some of their reactions:
clout_wallace:
“Keep eye contact uki blink unaeza tokwa, what is going on in Nairobi, wezi wamekuwa wengi.”
rono.h:
“We need Batman at this point Gotham is where we are.”
weddy_kinya_:
“I feel for the guy ..these thieves hurudisha mtu nyuma sana.”
ntazola_gloria:
“I’m not supposed to laugh but this funny omg what a bad day.”
iam_marwa:
“We need to prohibit boda boda in Nairobi.”
Source: Facebook
Did Baba Talisha lose his phones?
TUKO.co.ke previously reported that brand influencer Baba Talisha recently lost two high-end phones.
He appealed to the public to help him trace the devices, even offering a KSh 50,000 reward, noting that they contained unfinished client projects.
After tracking them, he discovered that the phones had already made their way to Uganda just days after being stolen in Nairobi.
Proofreading by Asher Omondi, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
