Three Kamiti Prison warders found guilty of aiding 2021 terror suspects' escape

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East Africa
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GK Kamiti Maximum Security Prison in Kasarani Sub-County within Nairobi City County. PHOTO| COURTESY 

Three prison warders at Kamiti Maximum Security Prison have been found guilty of facilitating the escape of terrorist inmates in 2021. The convicts, identified as Robert Kipkirui Soi, Kaikai Talengo Moses, and Willy Wambua, were each convicted of three offences, including neglect of official duty, aiding prisoners’ escape, and organizing a meeting in support of a terrorist group.

According to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), evidence presented in court proved that the escape of Musharaf Abdala (alias Shukri/Alex Shikanda), Mohamed Ali Abikar, and Joseph Juma Odhiambo was well-planned and executed on the night of 14th November and the morning of 15th November 2021 at GK Kamiti Maximum Security Prison in Kasarani, Nairobi. The three inmates were serving sentences for terrorism-related offences. 

Senior Principal Magistrate Boaz Ombewa noted that the operation must have taken considerable time to coordinate. The court found that Soi and Talengo, both Kenya Prisons Service officers, wilfully neglected their duties, allowing the prisoners to escape.  

Wambua was found to have actively aided the escape and organized a meeting between four terror convicts in Condemned Block “A,” Cell No. 6, by facilitating the movement of Abdul Majid Yassin from Cell No. 2 to the cell. These acts contravened the Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2012. The case is scheduled for a sentence hearing on 20th January 2026. By Benjamin Muriuki, Citizen  Digital