Kenya to extradite Boston murder suspect to face trial

Nairobi, Kenya - Kenyan prosecutors said Wednesday they have secured a court order to extradite a man accused of murdering his girlfriend in the US in a case that made headlines after he escaped police custody in Nairobi.

Kevin Kang'ethe arrives in court after he was re-arraigned at the Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi, Kenya, on February 14, 2024.
Kevin Kang'ethe arrives in court after he was re-arraigned at the Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi, Kenya, on February 14, 2024.  © SIMON MAINA / AFP

Kevin Kang'ethe was the subject of a three-month international manhunt after he fled the US for his native Kenya following the killing of Margaret Mbitu, who was found stabbed to death in a parking lot at Boston's Logan airport in November.

He was arrested in Kenya in January, but after just one week in detention, Kang'ethe slipped out of a holding cell, to the deep embarrassment of the Kenyan police.

He was recaptured in February while hiding out at a relative's home on the outskirts of Nairobi.

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"A magistrate court in Nairobi has allowed application filed by prosecution seeking for extradition orders against Kevin Kang'ethe," the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) said in a statement.

Kang'ethe – who had opposed his extradition – will face first degree murder charges in the US, prosecutors added.

Four police officers, two relatives, and a lawyer were arrested in connection with Kang'ethe's escape.

Mbitu, a healthcare aide in Halifax, Massachusetts, was last seen leaving work on October 30.

It was not immediately clear when Kenya would hand over Kang'ethe to the US authorities.

Cover photo: SIMON MAINA / AFP

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