A special multi-agency team has been formed to arrest Kelvin Kanyete, the main suspect in the murder of Kenyan nurse Margaret Mbitu at a US airport in November last year. Kelvin Kanete's daring escape has left Muthaiga Police Station baffled.
A police source familiar with the matter told reporters on Thursday that they had traced Kan'ete's phone signal to Machakos County, narrowing the search to the Nairobi metropolitan area.
The special team will try to trace Kan'ete's footprints and find anyone he came into contact with in the past 48 hours, as well as contacting local residents for information on the suspect's exact whereabouts.
Police will also identify his possible accomplices and how he managed to sneak away from the police station to Machakos County.
A photo collage of Margaret Mbitu (left), whose body was found in an airport garage on November 1st, and Logan Airport.
photograph
Margaret Mbithu / Boston
Witnesses also revealed details of Kan'ete's mysterious escape, explaining how he left the station gate without handcuffs and disappeared into a car.
A sweets vendor a few meters from Muthaiga Police Station said the suspect was running toward the National Youth Agency barracks, a few meters east of the station, when he was picked up by a following vehicle.
“Yesterday I saw a man running barefoot. He wasn't running very fast and two men were chasing him. There was also a car behind them and he disappeared into the cars. We didn't take it seriously, so no one raised the alarm,''' Bender said.
Another witness said he saw two men chasing the suspect. One is wearing a police uniform and the other is wearing civilian clothes. After a while, I noticed the two men turning around and heading back to the station.
“They should have told us to catch him because he wasn't running that fast,” the witness explained.
“In fact, we thought they were just joking. This place is full of people, including roadside vendors, matu drivers, conductors, and common people. If he had, we would have arrested him.”
Witnesses confirmed that no shots were fired during the chase, despite police orders allowing detectives to shoot suspects fleeing from lawful custody.
It is assumed that Kan'ete disappeared into a small forest east of the station.
Following the incident, Nairobi Police Chief Adamson Bangay ordered the arrest of four police officers who were present at the station along with the suspect's lawyer at the time of the escape.
They are trying to figure out how the suspect fled the station in broad daylight.
Kenyan police station photographed in 2021
photograph
NPS
