Details have emerged on how three terrorism convicts planned and executed their prison break from the Kamiti Maximum Prison on Monday night, November 15.
Seven prison wardens suspected to have abated the escape were presented before court where detectives will continue being in custody for 25 days pending investigations.
Detectives from the Serious Crimes Investigations Unit of the DCI team led by the Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) George Kinot who spent the better part of Tuesday analyzing the cell where three terror convicts escaped from, believe they worked in cahoots with unscrupulous prison wardens given that the wall appeared to have been drilled from both outside.
The three fugitives are; Musharaf Abdalla alias Alex Shikanda (34) from Mumias, sentenced to 22 years in prison, Joseph Juma Odhiambo (30) from Matungu, serving 15 years for terror related crimes, and Mohammed Ali Abikar (35) serving a 41-year-jail term, having been convicted in 2019 with three others for their role in the Garissa University attack.
The investigations revealed that the terror suspects managed to dislodge a brick from their cell wall and it is through the opening that sometimes they blocked using a card board that they made their way out, indicative of a plan hatched for a long time before it was executed. The detectives also recovered a rusty chisel and razor blades believed to have been used to create the blanket ropes. The rust on the chisel suggesting that the brick could have been dislodged sometime back.
The night they escaped,the trio used blankets, strings and broomsticks to create makeshift ropes that they used to scale the high walls. With Kamiti’s compound well lit with very powerful lights erected at strategic points illuminating the entire premise, The three managed to beat three layers of security to escape. Outside the cells, a team of officers is always on patrol supported by another team of officers from five watchtowers who can see all corners of the jail from their positions.
With the maximum security at Kamiti,the DCI Detectives are trying to piece together how the trio could scale two high walls around the correctional facility without the wardens hear the commotion or see anything.
The investigations at the crime scene were led by the DCI Kinoti who declined to comment on the probe due to its sensitivity.
Monday night Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiang’i led a delegation of all security chiefs at the maximum correctional facility where he expressed his dismay, warning Kenyans against collaborating with the convicts.
“We will deal very firmly and very decisively, not only with them but also with those that let such a thing happen,” said the CS.
He vowed to rally resources towards the recapture of the three terror convicts whose whereabouts are unknown.The authorities have also made an appeal to the public, offering Ksh.20 million each for information about the three escapees, who have all been in jail for terrorism-related offences.
Kenya Prisons Commissioner General, Wyclife Ogallo, has been forced to spend all his time trying to solve the puzzle that has shocked the entire nation. He continued with internal investigations and departmental meetings where he read the riot act to his officers.
