Over the years, Kenya has found itself at the center of international attention following the arrests of several high-profile fugitives hiding within its borders. These individuals, wanted abroad for serious criminal offenses, were eventually captured through coordinated efforts involving Kenyan authorities and international agencies. Below are five notable cases of fugitives who were arrested in Kenya.
1. Kelvin Kangethe
Kelvin Kangethe, a Kenyan national living in the United States, was apprehended at a nightclub in Nairobi on January 30, 2024. He was accused of killing Margaret Mbitu, a healthcare worker, whose body was discovered at Logan International Airport in Massachusetts on October 31, 2023.
Investigators believe that Kangethe fled to Kenya shortly after the murder. He was detained at Muthaiga Police Station for a month as U.S. authorities pursued his extradition. However, on February 7, 2024, he escaped from custody, reportedly jumping onto a public matatu and vanishing.
His freedom was short-lived. A week later, officers tracked him down in Embulbul, Ngong, where he had been hiding at a relative’s home. In September 2024, he was extradited to the U.S. to face charges related to Mbitu’s murder.
2. John Habeta
On December 16, 2021, Kenyan police, in collaboration with Dutch authorities and INTERPOL, arrested 53-year-old John Habeta in Nairobi. He was suspected of organizing a human smuggling network that transported migrants from Asia into Europe using forged documents.
Dutch officials had been seeking Habeta since 2017. Following his arrest, he was handed over to authorities in Amsterdam, where he faced charges tied to smuggling Eritrean nationals through transcontinental routes.
3. Miroslav Brazda
Czech national Miroslav Brazda, aged 61, was arrested in February 2021 at the Loitoktok border as he attempted to enter Kenya from Tanzania without valid travel documents.
Brazda had been the subject of an INTERPOL Red Notice over fraud charges dating back to 2006. After his arrest, Kenyan immigration officers, in collaboration with Czech and transnational crime agencies, deported him to Prague. He was handed over to authorities there to serve a prison sentence linked to his past crimes.
4. Isaac Sturgeon
American citizen Isaac Sturgeon was arrested in Nairobi in March 2021 after being sought by the FBI for his alleged involvement in the January 2020 U.S. Capitol riot.
Sturgeon was accused of using a metal barricade to assault police officers during the chaos and was believed to be part of the group that attempted to breach the Capitol building. He had traveled to Kenya in January 2021 and planned to stay for several months.
Authorities located him at a Nairobi hotel and detained him on March 5. He was deported soon after and taken into FBI custody upon landing at JFK Airport in New York.
5. Suspect and Swavey
Tariq Monteiro, known by his stage name “Suspect,” and Siyad Mohamud, also known as “Swavey,” were arrested in January 2022 in Nairobi’s Kilimani neighborhood. The two British nationals, members of the North London drill music group Active Gxng, had fled the UK after being implicated in the fatal stabbing of 16-year-old Alex Smith in Camden, London, in August 2019.
Their escape involved a quick flight to Kenya just hours after the crime. When arrested, Monteiro was reportedly carrying a fake Somalian passport and a dagger. After their extradition to the UK, both were convicted of murder. Monteiro was sentenced to at least 24 years, while Mohamud received a minimum of 23 years behind bars.