Editor's Review

Preliminary reports that he had requested to meet his lawyer at the station before escaping.

Kelvin Kinyanjui Kange'the, who was arrested after allegedly murdering his girlfriend and fled to Kenya, has escaped from Muthaiga Police Station.

It has now emerged that the alleged suspect fled from the station on Wednesday, February 7 evening, jumped onto a matatu, and fled to an unknown destination. 

Preliminary reports that he had requested to meet his lawyer at the station before escaping.

"A man who claimed to be his lawyer came to see him and they were both given time to converse in one of the station's offices. Shortly after, Kangethe is said to have run off, leaving the alleged lawyer behind. Police are said to have given chase but were unable to re-arrest him. The alleged lawyer and four police officers from the station are in custody as the hunt for Kangethe commences," John Allan Namu disclosed via the X platform. 

Kelvin Kinyanjui in court in Nairobi following his arrest on January 30, 2024. PHOTO | COURTESY

By the time of this publication, police had not issued a detailed statement of how the suspect escaped from a well-guarded police station in the city.

However, reports indicate that a manhunt has been launched to re-arrest the suspect wanted in the US on allegations of murdering his girlfriend, Margaret Mbitu, and leaving her body at the airport.

He had been detained at the police cells pending a ruling on whether he should be extradited to the US to face murder charges there in connection with the death of Mbitu on October 31, 2023. 

Kangethe was arrested in Nairobi’s Westlands area on January 30 while partying. His arrest made headlines with the US authorities praising Kenya for making a breakthrough in serving justice to the family of the deceased.

He was expected to be extradited to the US to face murder charges.