Kelvin Kangethe, a fugitive wanted in the United States for allegedly murdering his girlfriend, has managed to escape from police custody in Kenya without any intervention.
The 41-year-old was apprehended last week in Nairobi after being on the run for months following the death of his girlfriend.
Despite a court order allowing his detention for 30 days pending possible extradition, Kangethe walked out of Muthaiga Police Station unnoticed.
Kangethe is accused of killing his girlfriend last October in the US and fleeing to Kenya afterward. He allegedly abandoned her body in a car at Boston Logan International Airport before boarding a flight to his home country.
Although Kangethe has not responded to the allegations, authorities were shocked to discover his escape from the police station. According to reports, he fled during a meeting with a supposed lawyer in a private room at the station, leaving the lawyer behind.
While officers were occupied in another meeting, Kangethe managed to evade capture despite attempts to apprehend him.
Subsequent investigations have led to the arrest of four police officers and the individual who met Kangethe at the station.
This security breach has prompted a renewed effort by Kenyan police to locate Kangethe, with heightened security measures in place at the station.
The victim, Margaret Mbitu, a Kenyan-American nurse, was reportedly planning to end her relationship with Kangethe before her tragic demise. She was last seen alive leaving her workplace in October last year, and her body was discovered two days later.
Authorities believe he fled the US between Mbitu’s disappearance and the discovery of her body. Surveillance footage at the airport linked him to the crime scene.
A Kenyan court was scheduled to decide whether Kangethe should stand trial in Kenya or be extradited to the US to face charges of first-degree murder. Kangethe had claimed to have renounced his US citizenship last year.