Court allows extradition of murder suspect Kevin Kang’ethe to US
Kevin Kang’ethe (in red), a fugitive wanted by the United States for suspected murder, at the Milimani law court on February 14, 2024. The court ordered Kang’ethe to be detained at the Industrial Area Remand Prison until February 19, 2024.
What you need to know:
- On November 1, 2023, police discovered the body of Mbitu in the front passenger seat of Kang'ethes' Toyota Venza car.
- He escaped to Kenya and went into hiding in various suburbs of Nairobi County, where he used various phone numbers to call his friends in the USA as well as his family, relatives, and friends in Kenya.
A Kenyan suspected of killing his girlfriend in the US last October will now be extradited to Massachusetts to face a murder charge after a Nairobi court allowed the application by the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Renson Ingonga.
Milimani Chief Magistrate Lucas Onyina allowed the extradition of Kevin Kang’ethe to the US to face the charge of first-degree murder under Massachusetts general law.
The magistrate said the DPP had tabled a copy of the Extradition Treaty and that the court had established that there is indeed an extradition treaty between the US government and Kenya.
“The upshot of the foregoing is that, based on the findings made based on the reasons above, there are established reasons to justify the surrender of the respondent to the United States of America to face the offence of first-degree murder, in violation of Massachusetts General law,” the magistrate said on Wednesday.
Kang’ethe is alleged to have killed his girlfriend Margaret Mbitu, a home health care aide in the town of Halifax, Massachusetts- between October 30 and November 1, 2023.
He then fled to Kenya and a warrant for his arrest was issued by a District court in Chelsea, Massachusetts, which was followed by an extradition request made to Mr Ingonga.
He was arrested on January 30, 2024, in Parklands, Nairobi County, but escaped from custody before being re-arrested.
The court said any item found in Kang’ethe’s possession at the time of his arrest shall be handled by the relevant provisions of the law, and the items that form [part of the evidence) should be handed to the US government.
Evidence showed that Kang'ethe violently attacked and repeatedly stabbed Ms Mbitu in the face and neck leading to her death.
He is alleged to have driven the vehicle to different locations after throwing away her mobile phone in a trash dumpster, before driving to Logan International Airport and parked the vehicle in a garage with the body concealed in a bag and several other items.
The prosecution said at the time of his arrest, Kang'ethe had in his possession a driving licence, a debit card for Bank of America, and a Visa Card all bearing Mbitu’s name.
Mbitu went missing on October 30, 2023, after leaving her place of work, and efforts by the family to trace her were futile.
Preliminary investigation showed that she left her place of work and travelled to Lowell with Kang'ethe where he lived a distance of approximately 60 miles away.
The family reported her missing to the Whitman Police Department, who later enlisted the assistance of Massachusetts state police.
United police found out that the deceased and Kang'ethe travelled to Lowell riding in a white Toyota Venza on the morning of October 31, 2023.
On November 1, 2023, police discovered the body of Mbitu in the front passenger seat of Kang'ethes' Toyota Venza car.
He escaped to Kenya and went into hiding in various suburbs of Nairobi County, where he used various phone numbers to call his friends in the USA as well as his family, relatives, and friends in Kenya.
