NAIROBI,Kenya, Nov, 17 – President Uhuru Kenyatta while hosting a high level security delegation at State House Nairobi involving officials from the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government Wednesday announced major changes at the Kenya Prisons Service.
Brigadier (Rtd) John Kibaso Warioba has been sworn in as the new Kenya Prisons Commissioner General replacing Wycliffe Ogallo with immediate effect.
The appointment which was announced via way of notification of presidential action came as Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiang’i briefed president Kenyatta on the recent security breaches at the Kamiti Maximum Security Prison this past Sunday that led to the escape of three terror inmates.
“The briefing noted the compelling public interest in the matter and the need to entrench accountability in the ranks of the leadership of all security organs; in honour of the many Kenyans who have lost their lives and the enormous sacrifices made by all Kenyans and particularly the security organs to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat terror networks,” read a section of the presidential notification.
Kenyatta further directed the interior ministry to hasten the immediate capture of the three terror fugitives.
Those found culpable the head of state said should be brought to full account.
“In keeping with our ethos of good governance, in the intervening period and pending the conclusion of the ongoing investigations, the State Department of Correctional Services has similarly been directed to sanction disciplinary action against all Kenya Prisons Service personnel who were on duty when the security breaches occurred; which action shall include redeployment and/or immediate suspension of all affected officers,”
Kenyans on the other hand have been warned to be vigilant and report any suspicious activities to police.
Kamiti Prison Break. What Happened?
The escaped inmates include: Mohammed Ali Abikar who was jailed for 41 years for his role in the Garissa university Attack.
Musharraf Abdallah alias Shukri or Alex Shikanda was serving a 22 year sentence after he was convicted for being in possession of explosives and firearms. He is also said to have been planning an attack on parliament in 2019.
Joseph Juma Odhiambo was convicted for travelling to a terrorist designated country without passing through a designated immigration exit point and failing to report departure to the immigration office.
Seven wardens at the Kamiti Maximum Prison are in police custody following the escape of three convicts who were serving jail terms for terrorism-related crimes.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiangi said preliminary investigations suggested the escape from arguably the most secured maximum prison facility in the country was abetted by laxity and incompetence and vowed more arrests and prosecutions will follow after the Directorate of Criminal Investigations moved in to investigate the prison break.
The CS who led a senior security team to Kamiti prison Monday evening further announced a massive manhunt involving specialized teams had been launched across the country for Musharraf Abdalla Akhulunga a.k.a Zarkarawi, Mohammed Ali Abikar and Joseph Juma Odhiambo a.k.a Yusuf even as the DCI placed Sh60 million bounty on their recapture.
“We will not only go the direction investigations will point us but we will act resolutely to ensure this kind of recklessness does not happen again because it exposes our people. Definitely, there is a certain level of irresponsibility we have to deal with in this particular case.”
The CS who was flanked by principal secretaries Karaja Kibicho (Interior) and Zeynab Mohammed (Correctional Services), the Inspector General of Police Hilary Mutyambai, DCI boss George Kinoti and Commissioner General of Police Wycliffe Ogallo revealed tha t their extensive tour of Kamiti including Block A 6 where the trio had been held did not appear to support the official version of escape given by the prisons’ managers.
“We have gone to the place where the escape allegedly happened, and we have formed certain opinions. We don’t want to discuss that because we don’t want to interfere with the work that the DCI is doing.”
He said the Government will protect whistle-blowers who will volunteer information that could lead to the rearresting of the prisoners who are described as dangerous with the manhunt teams especially paying attention to the country’s borders and exit points.
‘We are all mobilized and we have sent messages across the country and all exit and possible movement points out of the country. We are going to conduct a massive manhunt for those three. They are dangerous criminals and we have to get them. And we are going to get them.
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