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By:
RAPHAEL WANJALA | |||||||||
| Posted:
Jul,14-2015 18:02:26
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Five prisoners, including two Britons being held on suspicion of having links with terror groups, have escaped from the Bungoma Prison in the past week under unknown circumstances.
Two of the prisoners escaped the facility on Sunday evening while another three, who were British nationals, escaped earlier in the week.
The officer in charge of the Bungoma Prison, Mr Henry Ochieng, said the two who escaped on Sunday were capital offenders while the foreign nationals were in remand for being in the country illegally.
Mr Ochieng stated that two escapes happened under unknown circumstances and there was a possibility that they had help from staff in the prison.
He said investigations had begun and that they were coordinating with all security agencies to ensure that the escapees are re-arrested.
"We have launched investigations into the matter and we have placed other security agencies on high alert to ensure that we get them as soon as possible. What is surprising is the manner in which they escaped," he said.
UNUSUAL ATTEMPT
Mr Ochieng stated that it was unusual for prisoners to attempt an escape from prison on a Sunday, since they never move out of the prison and are kept indoors all day long.
The officers, who were on Monday holed up in a meetings with provincial security teams, declined to reveal the identities of the escapees.
A junior prisons officer, who sought anonymity, said the two foreigners were being held over investigations regarding their suspected links with terror groups.
He further said that the escapes could also be linked with corruption in the prison’s top management, alleging that some prisoners usually bribe senior officers to get favours.
But Mr Ochieng declined to comment on the allegations, saying he could not comment on issues based on rumours. | |||||||||
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