A Kenyan man who had been on the run for 13 years after being convicted of causing a fatal road accident in the United States has been extradited to California to face sentencing.

Sancho Kibutu was handed over to US authorities in Nairobi by officers from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) before being flown to the US.

His extradition followed a request by the US Department of Justice through the US Embassy in Nairobi. The process, which involved Kenyan courts and other government agencies, took four weeks.

Kibutu, also known as Sancho Kibuto and Njoroge Kibuto, had been wanted in the US since 2013 after failing to appear in court for sentencing following his conviction.

He was convicted on September 19, 2013, by the Superior Court of California in Madera County for gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. A warrant for his arrest was issued on October 28, 2013.

Court records show that Kibutu, who was 32 at the time, was driving along Golden State Boulevard when he crossed a double yellow line and crashed into another vehicle.

The accident killed a 16-year-old passenger and left the driver and two other occupants injured.

Despite being convicted, Kibutu failed to return to court for sentencing and remained a fugitive for more than a decade.

He was arrested in Nairobi on September 9, 2026, as part of the extradition proceedings between Kenya and the United States.

The DPP said the case highlights Kenya’s cooperation with other countries in criminal matters and its commitment to ensuring that people wanted by foreign courts are brought before the relevant authorities in accordance with the law.

APERIT FM, HII NI YETU