Kenyans have continued to express safety concerns following the abduction of the daughter of media personality Ciku Muiruri and her friend in Nairobi’s Westlands area after attending a party.
The two were rescued following an operation conducted by a joint team of DCI sleuths.
Two suspects were arrested in connection with the abduction that happened a week ago.
Bolt Kenya has since issued a statement discouraging clients from using vehicles that do not match the registration details on their platform.
Security expert George Musamali says this kind of crime is an emerging trend and some criminals are hacking into the systems of the digital taxi apps.
Here are some of the safety tips he proposes for people using digital taxi apps.
1 Avoid boarding a taxi that does match the registration details on your app.
Immediately after you put in a request, your app will send you details of the driver that is supposed to pick you and the registration number of the car. If a different vehicle comes to pick you up, please don’t board it.
2 Be aware of your environment
Look for indicators. You’ll always see something that is abnormal with the person that is picking you up. The moment you realise that the driver is up to no good you have the right to stop that vehicle and alight.
3 Avoid switching off your app when the trip starts
The vehicle that has picked you up is supposed to be monitored from a control centre and as it is moving, the operators should be monitoring your movement as you head to your destination.
If your driver tells you to switch off your application please decline and alight from that vehicle and should you see that the driver has switched his application then that is a red flag. BY THE STAR