A man awaiting extradition to the United States to face first-degree murder charges escaped from police custody under suspicious circumstances.
Kevin Adam Kinyanjui Kange’the fled from police custody at the Muthaiga police station on Wednesday, February 7th evening, boarding a matatu (minibus) and fleeing to an unknown location, police said.
Kange’the is wanted in the state of Massachusetts for allegedly killing his girlfriend and leaving her body in a car at Boston’s airport.
He escaped from custody while meeting with his lawyer at the police station.
He had been detained in police cells awaiting a decision on whether he should be extradited to the United States to face murder charges related to the death of American citizen Margaret Mbitu on October 31, 2023.
Kangethe was arrested in Westlands, Nairobi, on the night of January 30 after being on the run for three months.
Senior police officers led by Nairobi Regional Police Commander Adamson Bungei arrived at the station upon learning that Kangethe had escaped, describing the incident as “embarrassing.”
“We have arrested four officers who were on duty when he escaped to explain how it happened. It’s just embarrassing for us,” he said.
Also detained was the lawyer who was meeting with him.
He added that Kangethe fled in a matatu along the busy Thika superhighway.
A new search for him was immediately launched. Police suspect he had planned his escape well and it may take longer to recapture him.
Kangethe was brought to court on January 31, where police successfully applied for him to be remanded at the Muthaiga police station for 30 days awaiting his extradition to Boston, where the crime occurred.
This was after it emerged that he had renounced his US citizenship.
On February 9, the court was set to give a ruling on the prosecution’s application to have Kange’the returned to the United States.
This followed the Director of Public Prosecutions moving to court seeking Kange’the’s extradition when the case was mentioned on February 1.
