A man awaiting extradition to the US on first-degree murder charges managed to escape police custody under dubious circumstances.
Kevin Adam Kinyanjui Kange'the evaded police at Muthaiga police station on Wednesday, February 7, and fled on a matatu to an unknown location, raising questions about the incident.
Kangethe faces a Massachusetts warrant for allegedly killing his girlfriend, Margaret Mbitu, and leaving her body in a car at Boston airport. His escape occurred during a meeting with his lawyer at the police station.
Nairobi Regional Police Commander Adamson Bungei labeled the incident embarrassing and arrested the four officers on duty during the escape. The lawyer who met Kangethe was also detained.
Following the escape, a renewed search was launched, suspecting that Kangethe had planned his getaway meticulously. He had been detained pending a ruling on his extradition to face murder charges in the US.
A court hearing was scheduled for February 9 to rule on Kangethe's extradition application. The Director of Public Prosecution had sought the extradition based on a US warrant alleging Kangethe's involvement in the murder of Margaret Mbitu on October 31, 2023.
Kangethe had renounced his American citizenship, and the court had detained him at Muthaiga police station for 30 days.
Kenyan detectives had last November received a request from the US authorities to arrest Kangethe for alleged murder in Massachusetts.
The victim’s mother said she was planning to break up with the suspect. An arrest warrant was issued on November 2, after Massachusetts State Police found the body of 31-year-old Margaret in a car at Boston’s Logan Airport Central Parking garage the night before.
Kevin Kang'ethe extradited to the US to face charges murder charges