Kevin Kangethe, the Massachusetts man wanted by U.S. authorities for allegedly killing his girlfriend last October, escaped from a police station in Kenya after he was arrested in connection with the murder.
As previously reported by Face2Face Africa, the 41-year-old suspect immediately fled to Kenya from the U.S. after he allegedly killed his girlfriend Margaret Mbitu and left her body in a car at a Boston airport garage.
Kangethe, who was being held at Kenya’s Muthaiga Police Station following his January 29 arrest, managed to escape from custody on Wednesday, BBC reported. A court in the East African nation had given the green light for the suspect to be detained for 30 days while awaiting possible extradition.
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Police in a statement said Kangethe walked out of the station while he was having a meeting with a man claiming to be his lawyer. The two men were in a private room when the suspect escaped.
“After a short while the prisoner escaped by running away and left the lawyer behind,” the statement said. Kangethe is said to have escaped while the head of the station was having a meeting with all the other officers.
Police were unsuccessful in apprehending Kangethe despite pursuing him. “We thought he was being chased for jaywalking. People just watched him run away,” an eyewitness told the news outlet. “If we knew why he was wanted we’d have helped arrest him.”
Nairobi police commander Adamson Bungei informed local media that they have arrested the man Kangethe had the meeting with at the time of his escape as well as four on-duty police officers, BBC reported. Bungei also described the incident as “embarrassing.”
Mbitu’s family informed U.S. media that the 31-year-old victim had intended to break up with Kangethe before her killing. Her body was found in a car at a garage at Boston Logan International Airport on November 1, 2023, NBC 10 Boston reported at the time. That was two days after she was reported missing.
Authorities said Mbitu suffered large slash wounds on her face and neck area as well as a puncture on her side. Kangethe is said to have checked into a flight to Kenya after he obtained airline tickets on November 2.
A Kenyan court was on Friday set to determine if Kangethe should face trial in Kenya or be extradited to the United States where first-degree murder charges have been brought against him. Kangethe, who is originally from Kenya, claimed he renounced his U.S. citizenship in 2023.
