Dutch man dies in hospital in Nairobi while waiting to be extradited over sexual abuses on children

A Dutch national who was waiting extradition from Kenya to his country over claims of sexual abuse on children is dead.

The fugitive identified as Jan Jacobus Brouwer, 66 died at Aster Healthcare Hospital in Nairobi, officials said.

He died on Tuesday March 11 at the hospital from esophagus cancer, which was in stage four.

He had been admitted to the facility on January 20, days after his arrest following an international warrant issued by his country.

Police said he had been remanded at the Parklands police station pending extradition proceedings, which were ongoing at the Milimani Law Courts.

His body was moved to the mortuary pending autopsy and other procedures.

He was arrested on January 13 in Nairobi following a request by the Netherlands.

Brouwer was convicted in the Netherlands in 2020 on two counts related to sexual assault against children.

He was apprehended after Dutch authorities contacted Kenya, seeking his extradition to serve his sentence.

The Nairobi Chief Magistrate’s Court issued a warrant for his arrest on January 13, following an application by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Renson Mulele.

Mulele, while making the application, informed the court that the Ministry of Justice and Security of the Kingdom of the Netherlands had formally requested his extradition through the Nairobi Embassy.

The convict, who has been residing in Kenya, was convicted by the Lumber District Court on two counts of committing non-consensual sexual acts with minors aged between 12 and 16.

Following his arrest in Nairobi, he was arraigned for a hearing on his extradition.

This is not the first time a fugitive has been traced to Kenya.

On June 6, 2022, a Sudanese fugitive was tracked down at the University of Nairobi staff quarters by detectives from the Transnational and Organised Crime Unit.

He had been on the run after facing charges of organised crime in his home country.

Later in the same year, an Indian fugitive was traced to Kenya by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) after fleeing his country, where he had been charged with murder.

In one of the most stunning arrest, a Kenyan fugitive who had been wanted in the United Kingdom after being accused of similar child sexual abuse crimes was arrested after being on the run in Kenya for 17 years.