Four police officers on duty at the Muthaiga Police Station, where wanted murder suspect Kelvin Kang'ethe escaped from custody on Thursday, February 8, have been halted.
Nairobi police boss Adamson Bungei speaking during a press briefing on Friday, noted that the actions taken are part of the police force's regulations on indiscipline.
Bungei further directed that two more officers assigned to supervise the halted colleagues be transferred to a different police post, pending investigations into the incident.
John Ndegwa, the suspects’s lawyer who had been detained at the police station after the incident happened, will remain in custody until the investigations are concluded to help with the manhunt.
Bungei further revealed that Ndegwa’s authenticity as the suspect’s lawyer has been validated following preliminary investigations; the counsel had reportedly visited Kang'ethe at least four times.
The lawyer’s authenticity had been previously questioned, as claims that he might have aided the suspect’s escape remained unproven.
Milimani Chief Magistrate Lucas Onyina has termed Kang’ethe as a dangerous person, issuing a warrant of arrest following an application by the prosecution on Friday.
A special multi-agency team has been formed to help in the manhunt for Kelvin Kang’ethe Kinyanjui, accused of murdering a Kenyan nurse in Massachusetts, before leaving her dead body at a United States airport in November last year.
According to a police report seen by Kenyans.co.ke, Kang’ethe escaped police custody on Thursday when the commanding officer was chairing a meeting with all the anti-crime personnel.
The station’s commander was alerted by a loud noise from fellow officers who had engaged the suspect in a chase, as an eyewitness confirmed having seen two men pursuing the suspect; one in police uniform while the other in civilian attire.
"They should have told us to apprehend him because he wasn't running that fast," the witness stated.
According to officers attached to the special team, the suspect’s phone has been traced to Machakos County, narrowing the search within the Nairobi Metropolis.
