Murder suspect Kevin Kang’ethe has been extradited to the United States, according to Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Renson Ingonga. Kang’ethe departed from Nairobi on Sunday and is scheduled to face murder charges in a Boston court on Tuesday.
“Kang’ethe left Nairobi on September 1, 2024, and is set to face the charge of murder at Suffolk Superior Court in Pemberton Square, Boston on September 3, 2024,” stated the DPP.
The suspect had returned to Kenya last year after allegedly killing Margaret Mbitu. He was arrested in Nairobi, but managed to escape custody before being re-arrested.
On July 31, a Nairobi court approved Kang’ethe’s extradition to the U.S. to face trial for the alleged murder of Mbitu. Milimani Chief Magistrate Lucas Onyina ruled that the crime of murder, as cited in the Extradition Request and the Authority to Proceed, met the criteria for extradition.
The court also indicated that the evidence presented established a connection between Kang’ethe and the alleged first-degree murder. However, it emphasized that it was not within the court’s jurisdiction to determine his guilt or innocence—that would be the responsibility of the U.S. trial court.
“It is not the mandate of this court, which is handling the extradition proceedings, to conduct a trial,” Onyina explained.
The ruling justified Kang’ethe’s surrender to the United States to stand trial for first-degree murder, citing a violation of Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 265, Section 1.
“The application is therefore allowed regarding prayer number 2, specifically ordering the Respondent to be returned to the United States of America to face charges of the alleged first-degree murder, in violation of Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 265, Section 1, as charged in Case No. 23 CR-2559 in the District Court in Chelsea, Massachusetts,” the magistrate ruled.
