Wanted fugitive Kang’ethe is in hiding with his brother, say Police
Kevin Adam Kinyanjui Kang’ethe arraigned at the Milimani Law Courts on January 31, 2024, in connection with the murder of his girlfriend Margaret Mbitu in the US in October 2023.
What you need to know:
- On Thursday last week when he escaped lawful custody at the Muthaiga Police Station, Mr Kinyanjui then went ahead and met with his brother who detectives now say was the mastermind of the escape plan.
- A detective attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) privy to the ongoing investigations said that the two were together on the same day when the murder suspect escaped from Muthaiga Police Station.
- The two linked up moments after the suspect escaped and they have since switched off their mobile phones.
Murder suspect Kevin Kinyanjui Kang’ethe is currently in the company of a man who is believed to be his brother and their phones are switched off, the Nation has learnt.
On Thursday last week when he escaped lawful custody at the Muthaiga Police Station, Kang'ethe then went ahead and met with his brother who detectives now say was the mastermind of the escape plan.
He was detained at the police station in a case to determine whether he would be expatriated to the United States of America (USA) where he is wanted for murdering his girlfriend identified as Ms Margaret Mbitu.
A detective attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) privy to the ongoing investigations said that the two were together on the same day when the murder suspect escaped from Muthaiga Police Station.
“The two linked up moments after the suspect escaped and they have since switched off their mobile phones. It is highly believed that they are currently together,” said the officer who spoke in confidence as he is not authorised to address the media.
It has also emerged that several detectives have been tasked with the job of hunting down the murder suspect who evaded authorities in the US where he allegedly committed the heinous act before boarding a plane to Kenya.
Meanwhile, Ms Beatrice Ng’ethe, a city-based lawyer who was arrested by DCI sleuths attached to the Nairobi Area before she was released 72 hours later yesterday spent most of her time at Pangani Police Station in relation to the ongoing investigations of Mr Kang'ethe escape from Muthaiga station.
Speaking to the Nation on phone, Ms Ng’ethe who was on the evening of Sunday released on a Sh100,000 cash bail said she was assisting in the investigations.
“We are still helping out with the investigations and will get back to you once I am done,” she said.
DCI boss Mr Mohamed Amin told the Nation that Ms Ng'ethe was interrogated in connection with the escape that put Kenyan police to shame— just days after Washington DC, through its embassy in Nairobi, gave them a pat on the back for arresting Mr Kang'ethe.
"Police are investigating her alleged role in the escape but she has already been released," said Mr Amin.
DCI sleuths picked her up from her house in Kiambu County on Friday morning as she prepared breakfast.
Officers looking into the case on Sunday intimated that Ms Ng’ethe, who is Mr Kang'ethe’s cousin, became a person of interest after phone records revealed that she was in communication with the fugitive days before he strolled out of Muthaiga Police Station without a trace.
Ms Ng'ethe’s close friends and relatives told the Nation that she had indeed communicated with Mr Kang'ethe, but all he wanted was legal advice on how to handle the case before he is deported to the US where a warrant of arrest was issued against him.
"It is true that Kinyanjui (Kang'ethe) approached her, but all he wanted was legal advice on how he would deal with the murder case and the plans to extradite him to the US," said the friend who spoke in confidence due to the sensitivity of the matter.
Police said a day before the murder suspect vanished into thin air, the lawyer was at Muthaiga Police Station to see him.
An officer attached to the station said the lawyer was allowed to speak to Mr Kang'ethe.
"They talked for some time," the officer said.
On the day of her arrest, Ms Ng'ethe had just woken up and was preparing breakfast when she heard a knock on her door.
She went straight to the door to find out who her visitor was, a rare occurrence on her doorstep at 7am, only to meet four strangers— two women and two men.
The four then introduced themselves as officers from the DCI who wanted to talk to her about some matters. When asked to produce their badges, they did so.
CCTV footage seen by the Nation shows the four officers avoiding looking at cameras at the entrance of the building.
Two of the officers remained in the car, a Subaru Outback, which is commonly used by DCI detectives.
Ms Ng'ethe was with a friend when the officers knocked on the door, and the friend (name withheld for privacy reasons) insisted that she accompany them.
The lawyer was asked not to call and cause worry to any of her relatives as they would release her “later in the day” but two days later, this had not happened.
After ransacking the house as if they were looking for something, they left with the duo.
The Nation understands that the snoopers took them to Kiambu Police Station and instead of following the normal procedures and arresting them, they took them to the canteen where they started interrogating them.
Later, Ms Ng’ethe’s friend was told to go home as they only wanted the lawyer. She tried to resist this suggestion but the officers became harsh, forcing her to leave.
It was the friend who then informed the lawyer’s family. Mr David Ng'ethe, the lawyer's brother, then tried to call his sister but she did not answer the calls.
The family then quickly decided that Ms Rahab Wanjiku, the lawyer's grandmother, should call her.
"After four missed calls, she finally picked up and told our grandmother that she was fine. When she tried to inquire about her whereabouts, a female officer took the phone away and informed her that she was fine before hanging up," he said.
Since the call to the grandmother, the family had not heard from the lawyer as her phone was being turned on and off.
Mr Ng’ethe decided to follow up at the DCI headquarters and the Kiambu Police Station instead.
At Kiambu Police Station, the family was turned away by officers who said they would not register the case there.
"I then decided to go to the DCI headquarters but the officers there said they were not aware of such a case," Mr Ng’ethe told the Nation.
He continued to investigate and visited Muthaiga Police Station where officers also said her sister was not registered there.
He said he then visited Karen police where he found the vehicle that was used by the DCI to ferry her but he was still told that she had not been booked there.
Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Eric Theuri described the arrest as an outrageous attack on the legal profession that should be met with protests.
"We have instructed a lawyer to file an urgent habeas corpus application. We are also calling on our members to show up in large numbers at the DCI headquarters on Monday to protest this outrageous attack on the legal profession. An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us," he said.
