NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 4 – Police have launched a manhunt for 13 prisoners who escaped from the Busia GK Prison early Monday morning.
Prisons Commissioner Isaiah Osugo told Capital News that one of the suspects was apprehended at about 6am at a nearby forest but the rest were still at large.
“We have intensified the search for 12 inmates, we are working closely with police officers from the area but we also want members of the public to help us,” Mr Osugo said in a telephone interview.
He said all those who escaped were dangerous criminals who were serving sentences for murder and robbery with violence. Capital sentences vary from life imprisonment to the death penalty.
“We are appealing for help from members of the public and there is a cash reward for anyone giving information that will lead to the arrest of any of these inmates,” Mr Osugo said.
He has told Capital News that the warders who were on duty at the time of the jail break are being questioned to establish if they aided the escape.
A contingent of police and prison officers has been combing the nearby forests in search of the suspects.
“They are not armed but they are very dangerous people because of the nature of their crimes; they should not be left to be out there,” Mr Osugo added.
There were no immediate details on how the suspects managed to escape from the tightly guarded prison facility but Mr Osugo said they believe the inmates scaled the security wall.
“Prison facilities are usually manned on a 24-hour basis; it is not possible that these inmates could have escaped without the knowledge of our people. We are investigating these issues and whoever found to be culpable will have to face the relevant charges in court,” he added.
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