Court orders murder suspect Kevin Kang’ethe be detained at Industrial Area Remand Prison

The Milimani Law Courts has ruled that murder suspect Kevin Kang’ethe be held at the Industrial Area Remand Prison pending hearing of extradition proceedings against him.

The court granted the prosecution’s request to transfer the suspect to the prison following his re-arrest on Tuesday night after a daring escape from the Muthaiga Police Station last week.

The prosecution wanted the suspect given access only to lawyers who are appearing for him, who must also be accompanied by an investigator in the matter.

“The prosecution had also sought the court to issue orders that would ensure that the fugitive only had access to defence counsels on record for the respondent,” the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) said in a statement.

During the hearing, the prosecution also sought orders to have the suspect receive medical attention in the prison in consultation with the government doctor attached to the Industrial Area Remand Prison.

Magistrate Lucas Onyina however failed to issue orders regarding the pleas by the prosecution, subsequently setting the matter for mentioning on Monday next week.

Kang’ethe, who is wanted in the US for the murder of his 31-year-old Kenyan-born girlfriend, Maggie Mbitu, at an airport in the U.S. was re-arrested on Tuesday night in Ngong after escaping police custody at Muthaiga station on February 7, 2024. 

He reportedly escaped after a person who identified himself as a fugitive's personal advocate was allowed to meet him. 

Following his arrest in Nairobi, Kang’ethe was presented in court on a miscellaneous application where detectives were granted 30 days to detain him pending a determination on whether he would be extradited to the US.

The suspect last week daringly escaped from the station in broad daylight at around 5.30 pm in the presence of the station commander who only reportedly heard a commotion as her officers attempted to chase after the fleeing Kang'ethe.

The police said that at around 4 pm, a man identified as John Maina Ndegwa arrived at the station and introduced himself to the officers as a personal lawyer to Kang'ethe and that he wished to talk to his client.

The officers are said to have obliged the request and went ahead to remove the suspect from the cells leaving him alone with his 'lawyer' in a different room; anti-crime office number 3.