A Magistrate Court in Nairobi has ordered Kevin Kang’ethe to be extradited to the United States of America to face murder charges.
The decision follows an application that was filed by the prosecution side seeking Kang’ethe extradition to the US, where he is wanted on charges of murdering Margaret Mbitu in Massachusetts between October 30 and November 1, 2023.
“Chief Magistrate Lucas Onyina ruled that the respondent be extradited to the Chelsea District Court in the County of Suffolk, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States of America, for the prosecution of an alleged offence of first-degree murder, in violation of Massachusetts General Law (G.L.), chapter (c) 265, section 1 under the laws of the USA,” a statement shared by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, read in part.
Reason for extradition
According to the Chief Magistrate, the prosecution team adduced sufficient factual and legal basis to warrant the extradition of Kang’ethe to the US.
Their argument was based on the existing extradition treaty between Kenya and the US.
“In addition, the court found that there was no restriction to the surrender of the respondent to the United States of America because the offence with which he is alleged to have committed is neither political in nature nor motivated by tribe,” the magistrate stated.
Further, the magistrate indicated that the evidence presented in court established a link between Kang’ethe and the offence committed in the US.
“In an affidavit filed by Senior Prosecution Counsel Magdalene Nduati, the ODPP on 31 January 2024 received a formal request from the USA through the Central Authority, the office of the Attorney General, and the Department of Justice, United States of America, for the arrest and extradition of the respondent to the USA,” the ODPP’s statement further detailed.
Kang’ethe is accused of murdering and killing a 31-year-old Kenyan-born woman based in Whitman, Massachusetts, whose body was discovered inside a vehicle at Boston’s Logan Airport.
The suspect then escaped to Kenya, where he was arrested at a Westlands nightclub while partying. The fugitive was then taken to Muthaiga Police Station, where he escaped, prompting an intensive manhunt.
Kang’ethe was later re-arrested in Ngong at a relative’s compound, where he was hiding.
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, where he is wanted for murder charges.