A Kenyan man who evaded sentencing in the United States for 13 years after being convicted in a fatal drunk-driving crash has been extradited to California to face justice.
Sancho Kibutu was handed over to American authorities in Nairobi following extradition proceedings involving the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Kenyan courts. The transfer followed a request by the US Department of Justice through the American Embassy in Nairobi. The legal process took four weeks to complete.
Kibutu, also known as Sancho Kibuto and Njoroge Kibuto, was arrested in Nairobi on September 9, 2026, after spending more than a decade as a fugitive.
He had been convicted on September 19, 2013, by the Superior Court of California in Madera County for gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, an offence under Section 191.5(a) of the California Penal Code. According to court records, Kibutu was 32 when he drove along Golden State Boulevard, crossed a double yellow line and crashed into another vehicle.
The collision killed a 16-year-old passenger in the other vehicle and injured its driver and two additional occupants.
Following his conviction, Kibutu failed to attend court for sentencing, prompting the issuance of a bench warrant on October 28, 2013. He remained outside the reach of American authorities until his arrest in Kenya, which paved the way for his extradition.
He has now been transferred to the United States to face sentencing for the fatal crash.
