Murder suspect Kelvin Kang'ethe, who was accused of killing Kenyan nurse Margaret Mbitu at a US-based airport last year, had devised an intricate plan to escape Muthaiga Station, police sources have revealed.
According to a police report obtained by Kenyans.co.ke, before breaking out of the cell, a man claiming to be Kang'ethe's lawyer visited the suspect on Wednesday afternoon where the two engaged in a brief session.
Operating on the assumption that this was a regular visit by an attorney, the police granted the man's request to see the suspect. As is the norm, the officers escorted the suspect from his cell and took him to the Anti-Crime office, leaving the two men alone.
Moments later, the suspect was said to have escaped the office and ran away, leaving the lawyer behind.
According to the report, Kang'ethe ran away when the station's commanding officer was chairing a meeting with all the anti-crime personnel and members of the inspectorate at her office.
The police report indicated that the commander was alerted by a loud noise from fellow officers who had engaged the suspect in a speed chase along Thika Superhighway.
The detectives were, however, unable to catch up with him as he managed to outmanoeuvre them.
Staff Officer Operations (SOOPs) attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, Regional Criminal Investigations Officers (RCIOs) in Nairobi and other senior officers visited the scene to establish how the events unfolded.
As a result, four officers and the man claiming to be the suspect's lawyer were arrested and placed in custody.
The four suspects also recorded statements which will help determine if they helped Kang'ethe to escape.
At the time of publishing this article, the US embassy, which previously lauded the Kenyan government for the swift arrest of the suspect, was yet to respond over the issue.
The suspect was awaiting extradition to Massachusetts to face charges over Mbitu's murder.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, Law Society of Kenya (LSK) boss Eric Theuri confirmed that investigations are ongoing to establish the identity of the man claiming to be Kang'ethe's lawyer.
"We have a lawyer by that name, but investigations are still ongoing to uncover the details," he stated.
