Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS), Fred Matiang'i, has issued an order to deport two suspects of British origin arrested in Kilimani, Nairobi, to the United Kingdom (UK).
Kennedy Monteiro and Siyad Abdihakim Mohamud, who were arrested in a sting, multi-agency operation, are wanted fugitives in the UK for allegedly committing murder.
Monteiro and Mohamud, aged 21 and 24, are accused of being part of a gang that trailed and attacked a man on August 12, 2019, resulting in his death.
“Between January 29 and 30, the Government of Kenya deported two fugitives of British origin. The two were being sought by British authorities for being part of a gang that attacked and killed Alex Smith on August 12, 2019," the statement read in part.
The directive was issued following a request by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Noordin Haji, who opined that the two be charged in the UK.
“The DPP requested the Cabinet Secretary of the Ministry of Interior to issue the requisite order directing the two fugitives whose presence in Kenya is unlawful to be removed from the Republic of Kenya to the United Kingdom to face criminal charges against in the United Kingdom,” read the statement by the office of the DPP.
The two were handed to the UK authorities by officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations Transnational Organised Crimes Unit at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
Further investigations revealed that Monteiro and Mohamud made their way into the country posing as visitors.
However, a review of their travel documents by the State Department of Immigration revealed that the two were in the country illegally as they had not renewed their visas which had already expired.
The arrest and deportation of the suspects is in line with the Extradition Act (2012) which states that every fugitive criminal of a commonwealth country who is in or suspected of being in Kenya shall be liable to be arrested, detained and surrendered whether there is or is not any concurrent jurisdiction in a court in Kenya over that crime.
The uptown Nairobi estate in recent times has been characterised by increased cases of crime involving both local and foreigners.
On December 16, a fugitive on international police radar over his alleged involvement in the smuggling of individuals to Europe in a human trafficking syndicate was traced to Kilimani. The suspect was reported to be at the centre of a group that smuggled men, women, and children with a wide network in Europe.
