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Prosecution wants murder suspect Kangéthe detained 30 days pending extradition

Murder suspect Kevin Kinyanjui Kang'ethe pictured after his arrest on February 13, 2024. (Photo: DCI)

By Joseph Ndunda | Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Kang'ethe was rearrested on Tuesday evening in Ngong, Kajiado County following an intelligence-led operation.

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP) has petitioned Milimani chief magistrate Lucas Onyina to detain murder suspect Kevin Kang'ethe at the Nairobi Area Remand and Allocation Prison for 30 days pending a formal application for his extradition to the United States.

He is the main suspect in the murder of his girlfriend Margaret Mbitu whose body he dumped in a car parked at the Boston International Airport before fleeing the US.

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Senior Assistant DPP Vincent Monda made the application on Wednesday, saying Kang'ethe breached security by receiving unauthorised visitors at the Muthaiga Police Station, from where he fled under unclear circumstances on February 7.

Monda's application relied on an affidavit by Inspector of Police Patrick Wachira, of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters, who said officers at Muthaiga had been instructed to treat Kang'ethe as a dangerous suspect and to grant him limited visitations while in custody.

Wachira added that by escaping from a police station, Kang'ethe demonstrated he was a flight risk and showed his intention to evade justice.

Kang'ethe escaped from police custody just two days before the court made its ruling on the ODPP's application to have him detained for 30 days pending the extradition hearings.

"The deputy station commander for Muthaiga Police Station instructed all office personnel and cell sentries to ensure anyone who wished to visit Kang'ethe reported to his office for permission," Inspector Wachira stated in the affidavit.

“It is imperative to restrict access to Kang'ethe by placing him in detention at Industrial Area medium remand prison pending the hearing and determination of the extradition matter.”

The court is expected to rule on Wednesday at 3 pm on whether Kang'ethe will be held at the Industrial Area Prison

Kang'ethe was rearrested on Tuesday evening in Ngong, Kajiado County, in an intelligence-led operation.

The US filed its extradition request through the office of the Attorney General and the criminal division of the Department of Justice's Office of International Affairs.