US fugitive has been traced to Machakos after escape from Muthaiga Police station
Machakos, Nairobi and Kiambu counties are some of the places where Kevin Adam Kinyanjui Kang’ethe, a murder suspect wanted in the United States (US) for ending the life of his girlfriend, has been since he escaped from Muthaiga Police Station, Nairobi News has learnt.
Kinyanjui, who managed to evade arrest in the USA where he ended the life of Margaret Mbitu in October, also hid from police officers in Kenya for three months until he was nabbed on January 31, 2024, as he was leaving a popular nightclub in Westlands.
However, he escaped from Muthaiga Police Station under questionable circumstances on Wednesday, February 7, evening.
Since then, detectives attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have been chasing him but they are yet to catch him.
“A few hours after he escaped from Muthaiga Police Station, his phone signals were traced to Machakos County. Officers are also aware of the people he contacted during that period,” said a detective attached to the DCI who spoke in confidence as he is not authorised to speak to the media.
Also read: US fugitive arrested in Westlands for killing girlfriend, stashing body in car boot
Security experts are now poking holes in the whole affair as they accuse the police of laxity and also say corruption is the main reason why such suspects like Kinyanjui manage to escape from police cells.
Kinyanjui is said to have walked barefoot out of Muthaiga police station exactly six minutes after being allowed out of cell number four by officers to discuss some legal matters with his lawyer. Police identified the lawyer as John Maina Ndegwa.
The walkout from the station led to the arrest of four police officers who were on duty when the suspect escaped.
Ms Esther Njeri, the Officer Commanding Station (OCS) at Muthaiga Police Station, who was recently transferred from Lang’ata, was in a meeting with other officers when the suspect fled.
The murder suspect had allegedly ended the life of his girlfriend identified as Ms Margaret Mbitu before dumping her body in a personal motor vehicle and boarding a plane to Kenya.
Police in the state of Massachusetts then said that the body was found in the car a day later on November 1, which was parked at Logan International Airport. It is from the same airport that Kinyanjui boarded a flight to Kenya.
If Kinyanjui’s extradition goes through, he will be charged in the U.S., where federal law allows only two sentences for first-degree murder: life imprisonment or the death penalty.