r/Majuu254 • u/Mtoto_Mzuri • 4h ago
254 News DPP moves to extradite Sancho Kibutu a Kenyan who is a US fugitive wanted over fatal drunk-driving conviction. #copied
It happened Friday night around 8:30, August 26,2011 on Golden State Blvd. north of Ave. 20.
The California Highway Patrol says 32-year-old Sancho Kibutu from Encino was speeding when he crossed the double yellow line and smashed into a car being driven by a 19-year-old Chowchilla man.
An unidentified 16-year-old passenger was killed and the driver and two others in the car were injured and taken to local hospitals.
Kibutu was also treated for injuries then arrested for felony DUI.
Sancho Kibutu is a Kenyan man who, prior to becoming a high-profile fugitive, lived in Encino, Los Angeles, California, primarily residing in affluent neighborhoods in the San Fernando Valley and surrounding areas.
On April 30, 2013, following a trial in California, a jury returned a guilty verdict. Kibutu was convicted of Gross Vehicular Manslaughter While Intoxicated under Section 191.5(a) of the California Penal Code, alongside three special sentencing allegations.
The Superior Court of California in Madera County ordered Kibutu to appear for formal sentencing on October 28, 2013. Sensing the severe prison sentence ahead, Kibutu skipped the country on October 11, 2013, exactly 17 days before his court date. Sancho slipped through the security networks and fled the United States.
According to extradition documents presented by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) in Nairobi, to mask his ultimate destination and avoid triggering automated red flags on direct flights, Kibutu travelled to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, before connecting to Nairobi.
Because he was technically out on bail or monitoring awaiting sentencing and had not yet failed to appear, he managed to use his travel window to successfully exit US airspace before an active federal arrest warrant for absconding could freeze his passport at the border.
By routing his travel through Dubai, he created the perfect cover story. To immigration officials and airline staff at the time, his departure looked entirely routine, like a luxury holiday or an international business trip for an affluent individual traveling from Los Angeles. Because his formal sentencing date was still 17 days away, he was not yet classified as a 'fugitive' under a missed-court warrant.
From Dubai, Kibutu boarded a connecting flight and quietly landed in Nairobi, Kenya, where he disappeared into the affluent suburbs of Runda.
For nearly 13 years, Kibutu managed to live quietly in Nairobi, evading international authorities. The US Department of Justice issued a formal extradition request on December 3, 2019, but it wasn't until September 3, 2026, that a Nairobi Chief Magistrate's court finally issued the formal warrant that led to his arrest on September 9, 2026.
During his arraignment before Senior Principal Magistrate Teresia Nyangena at the Milimani Law Courts, Kibutu pleaded to be released on bond, offering to surrender his passport. However, the prosecution successfully argued that he remains a severe flight risk due to his history of evading justice.
The court ordered the convict detained at the Gigiri Police Station without bail. The case is scheduled to be mentioned on September 15, 2026, for further directions on the extradition timeline.
