Man wanted for allegedly murdering girlfriend in US escapes custody in Kenya

By Andrew Wasike

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) - A Kenyan man wanted by police in the US state of Massachusetts for allegedly murdering his girlfriend and leaving her body in a car has escaped from a police station during processing for extradition.

Authorities confirmed the escape of Kevin Adam Kinyanjui Kang'ethe on Thursday morning from Muthaiga Police Station in Nairobi, the nation’s capital.

Adamson Bungei, Nairobi’s police chief, said that the escape took place during a scheduled meeting at the police station between Kang'ethe and his purported legal representative.

"We have arrested the officers who were on duty when he escaped to explain how it happened. It is just embarrassing to us," Bungei said.

Additionally, the lawyer who was present during the escape has also been detained, amid suspicions over the circumstances surrounding Kang'ethe's flight from custody.

Kang'ethe, who appeared before a magistrate on Feb. 1 for extradition proceedings, was slated to face first degree murder charges at the Chelsea District Court in Massachusetts in the Northeastern US.

Kenyan authorities were holding the suspect at the police station while awaiting instructions from the court on his transfer to the US.

Last November, Maggie Mbitu, 31, a longtime nurse, was found stabbed to death in a car at Boston’s Logan Airport after being reported missing by her family several days earlier.

After allegedly killing her, Kang’ethe left Boston on a flight to Kenya. ​​​​​​​