The recent escape of murder suspect Kevin Kinyanjui Kang’ethe from Muthaiga Police Station has ignited scrutiny of law enforcement procedures.
Kang’ethe, who was awaiting extradition to the US to face charges in connection with the murder of his girlfriend, managed to evade custody under circumstances that have raised serious questions about security protocols and police oversight.
Eyewitnesses, speaking to NTV, recounted seeing Kang’ethe fleeing barefoot on Wednesday evening before boarding a waiting vehicle.
“I saw a man running barefoot yesterday. He wasn’t running that fast and two men were trailing him. There was also a car behind them and they disappeared into the traffic. We didn’t take it seriously so no one raised any alarm,” an eyewitness stated.
Another witness stated that he saw two men pursuing the suspect; one in police uniform while the other in civilian attire. After a while, he noticed that the duo both turned back and headed back to the station.
“They should have told us to apprehend him because he wasn’t running that fast,” the witness explained.
“In fact, we thought that they were just joking with him. This place is full of people, including roadside vendors, matatu drivers, conductors and the public. We would have arrested him had they told us to.”
This contradicts the police’s initial assertion that Kang’ethe absconded during a private meeting with a self-proclaimed lawyer at the station.
The police claimed Kang’ethe exploited client-counsel privilege during this meeting, in which no officers were present, to effect his escape.
Allegedly, he left the lawyer behind and fled on foot. Subsequently, law enforcement purportedly attempted to pursue him, but he purportedly eluded them by boarding a matatu at a nearby bus stop, which then vanished.
However, eyewitnesses contest this narrative. They assert that Kang’ethe actually fled in a private vehicle and that police did not actively pursue him after his escape.
The conflicting reports have cast doubt on the transparency and effectiveness of police procedures in handling high-profile suspects.
In response, police claim to be actively pursuing leads, including efforts to trace the alleged matatu.
