President Uhuru Kenyatta has fired the Commissioner-General of the Kenya Prison Service, Wycliffe Ogallo, and appointed Brigadier (Rtd) John Warioba in his place.
Warioba was sworn in as Commissioner-General at State House on Wednesday.
Queries have arisen over how they managed to escape from the country’s most secure prison on Monday.
Before announcing his sacking, President Kenyatta on Wednesday held a crisis meeting at State House with top Interior ministry officials and Prisons chiefs over the jailbreak.
However, Ogallo had been sidelined from the Wednesday meeting. His assistant Florence Omundi was at State House.
Also at the State House meeting were Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i, Corrections PS Zainab Hussein and officer in charge of Ruiru Prisons Training College Wanini Keriri.
The President was said to be especially angry about the escape of the terror suspects.
A statement released by State House afterwards explained that the government will take all action necessary to pursue the escapees.
“The State Department of Correctional Services has similarly been directed to sanction disciplinary action against all Kenya Prisons Service personnel who were on duty when the security breaches occurred; which action shall include redeployment and/or immediate suspension of all affected officers,” the notice signed by State House Spokesperson Kanze Dena said.
Already security personnel have launched a manhunt for the trio: Musharaf Abdalla Akhulunga, aka Zarkawi, aka Alex, aka Shukri, Mohamed Ali Abikar and Joseph Juma Odhiambo, aka Yusuf.
They escaped the highly guarded facility after removing part of the wall leading to their cell block.
President Kenyatta urged Kenyans to volunteer any information that will lead to their arrest, while also reminding them to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities
He also lauded Kenya’s security personnel for their “tireless and heroic work in law enforcement and counterterrorism.”
The escape has put Kenya on high alert, especially coming in the backdrop of a terror attack in neighbouring Uganda which has sent panic among East African States.
Wardens held
Meanwhile, a court in Kiambu has allowed the police to detain three prison wardens for 25 days over their alleged links in aiding the escape of the trio.
This brings to ten the number of wardens who have been arrested after the daring escape. Seven wardens were arrested yesterday as investigations into the incident continue.
Kahawa Law Courts senior Principal Magistrate Boaz Ombewa, while granting the custodial orders to detain Edwin Muhia Njuguna, Silvestor Musyoka Mwitisyo and Moses Kaikai, said the issues which had been raised by DCI investigating officers touched on matters of national security and public interest.
Both Muhia and Musyoka are prisons inspectors while Kaikai is a warden.
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