How Kamiti Prison Officers Helped With Escape of Terrorists
Evidence presented by the prosecution showed that the escape involved organised movements within the prison, which the officers either permitted or directly assisted, enabling the planning and coordination of the breakout..
✨ Key Highlights
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has successfully secured the conviction of officers involved in the 2021 escape of terrorist inmates from Kamiti Maximum Security Prison. The court found that the escape was a carefully planned event, where
- Kahawa Law Court's Senior Principal Magistrate Boaz Ombewa determined the escape was deliberate facilitation.
- Officers allowed the movement of an inmate for a meeting in Condemned Block ‘A,’ Cell No. 6, enabling coordination.
- The actions violated the Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2012, with sentencing scheduled for January 20, 2026.
- Fourteen witnesses testified for the prosecution.
- The escaped inmates were recaptured four days later in Kitui County.
- Contributing factors included corruption due to low pay, inadequate anti-terrorism training, and poor working conditions.
- Aiding escape carries up to seven years under the Penal Code, and up to 20 years for abetting terrorism under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
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Part of the Day's Coverage
Misconduct & Failures Involving Police and Prison Officers Investigated - January 2026
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) is searching for a traffic police officer who fled an anti-bribery operation along the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway, an incident where three other officers from Kyumbi Traffic Police Base were arrested. In a separate case, the Director of Public Prosecutions secured the conviction of prison officers for their involvement in the 2021 escape of terrorist inmates from Kamiti Maximum Security Prison, which the court found was a planned event. Elsewhere, medics from Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital protested at Eldoret Central Police Station over the killing of their colleague, Richard Rotich. The medics accused security agencies of failing to protect frontline workers and demanded action.
