Auctioneers in Kenya have issued seven-day and 30-day ultimatums to owners of unclaimed vehicles stored at motor yards across the country, or they will be auctioned. The notices, dated January 9, were published under the Disposal of Uncollected Goods Act (Cap. 38). Owners must pay storage fees to retrieve their vehicles.
Various auctioneering companies in Kenya have announced plans to dispose of unclaimed vehicles under the Disposal of Uncollected Goods Act (Cap. 38). Three separate gazette notices dated January 9 warn that if owners do not collect their vehicles, they will be considered abandoned and sold at public auction immediately after the specified period expires.
One notice states: "Notice is issued pursuant to the provisions of section 5 of the Disposal of Uncollected Goods Act (Cap 38) of the laws of Kenya, to the owners of motor vehicles which are lying at Motor Lab Auto Garage and Auto Divine Motors Limited, to take delivery of the said motor vehicles within thirty (30) days from the date of this publication." It adds that if the vehicles are not collected by the end of this period, they will be sold by public auction without further reference to the owners.
The vehicles include an Isuzu pickup, Land Rover, trailer, Nissan Sunny, Honda CR-V, and Peugeot 404, among others. Owners must settle storage charges and any accrued costs. Failure to do so will result in the vehicles being auctioned without additional notice.
These notices follow a previous announcement where different companies threatened to dispose of vehicles and hundreds of motorcycles stored at police stations nationwide. In Kenya, police stations and motor yards typically auction unclaimed goods, including motorcycles, vehicles, and household items, under this Act. Licensed auctioneers handle the sales after court notices, which are traditionally published in the Kenya Gazette.