3 Kamiti prison escapees handed 15 month sentence after pleading guilty

They were handed the sentence by Chief Magistrate Kavetsa.

The three terror convicts Musharraf Abdalla Akhulunga aka Zarkarawi, Mohammed Ali Abikar and Joseph Juma Odhiambo aka Yusuf who escaped on November 15 were recaptured three days later in Kitui as they headed to Somalia.

The prosecution told the court that investigations had shown that the convicts were aided in the escape by prison warders, 13 of who are facing charges in court. The 13 warders were freed Monday on cash bails ranging fromSh50,000 and Sh30,000 after denying charges of aiding the escape of the prisoners.

They were arrested in Kitui following a tip-off from members of the public days after the government announced a Sh20 million bounty for each.

Inspector General of Police Hillary Mutyambai has assured that the reward on information that led to their arrest will be honored, but will not be made public for security reasons.

All three were charged and convicted of terrorism-related offenses and one, Abikar, was serving 41 for involvement in an attack that left 148 people dead.

Six other warders who were arrested over the escape were also expected to know if they will be held longer or not.
A court sitting in Kamiti ruled that the six be taken back on Monday for further directions.

“The government acknowledges that the re-arrests of the suspects were made possible with the support from members of the public. Indeed, the accounts of several people who separately claim to have played a role in the capture have been reported extensively in the media,” Mutyambai said in a statement issued late Sunday.

He said the government was undertaking a verification process in order to ensure that the reward goes to, deserving recipients whose identity will not be revealed.

“The security nature of the incident and the risk of harm to those who genuinely aided the capture of the high-value trio may mitigate against a full public disclosure of the eventual beneficiaries of the cash awards,” he said.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) placed a Sh60 million bounty on the recapture of the convicts upon provision of crucial information from members of the public.

The escape led to major changes at the prisons that included the sacking of the Commissioner-General of the Kenya Prisons Services Wycliffe Ogallo.

Ogallo was fired by President Uhuru Kenyatta and replaced by Brigadier (Rtd) John Kibaso Warioba in changes announced by State House, two days after the shocking jailbreak that sent panic across the country.

“The appointment follows the briefing to the Head of State from the Ministry responsible for Correctional Services regarding the security breaches at the Kamiti Maximum Security Prison that led to the escape of three inmates,” State House Spokesperson Kanze Dena said in a statement.