Authorities have reached out to witnesses and the prosecution team of the three terrorists who escaped from Kamiti Maximum Prisons.
The individuals have been asked to be careful and take precautions in case the terrorists try to revenge.
Musharraf Abdalla Akhulunga a.k.a Zarkarawi, Mohammed Ali Abikar and Joseph Juma Odhiambo a.k.a Yusuf have been missing since November 15 morning.
They are said to have escaped from the most guarded facility. Reports are that they could be anywhere in the country ready for a mission.
This comes amid suggestion the three may have “bought” their way out of prisons. Detectives are investigating this angle among others.
They escaped and left their physically challenged convict in the cell.
Authorities however believe they were aided to escape.
Abikar was charged and convicted in 2019 over his links to al-shabaab and for abetting the Garissa University attack of April 2015 that left 148 people dead.
Abikar and another militant were jailed for 41 years each.
The three had earlier been found guilty of conspiracy to commit a terrorist attack and of belonging to al-shabaab, which is linked to al-Qaeda.
Rashid Charles Mberesero, who was given a life sentence, is a Tanzanian, while Abikar and Hassan Edin Hassan, are Kenyans.
Mberesero was given the longest term because he was arrested at the scene of the massacre and could not explain his presence university in April 2015.
The four gunmen were killed at the scene while the man who plotted it Mohamed Kuno was killed in Somalia in 2016.
In the early hours of 2 April 2015, heavily armed attackers stormed Garissa University College and shot dead two security guards before aiming fire at students.
The gunmen raided the campus, attacking students in their classrooms while they were preparing for exams.
Odhiambo, 30 was arrested was arrested on November 21, 2019 in Bulla Hawa, Somalia, while attempting to register with the al-shabaab.
He hails from Lukoye are of Mumias.
Akhulunga, 34 is also known as Alex or Shukri, was arrested in 2012 over a foiled attack on Kenya’s parliament and charged with possessing explosives, ammunition and firearms.
Masharaf had been arrested on September 30, 2012, over his participation in a botched attempt to conduct a terror attack targeting Parliament Buildings.
He hails from Ekero area of Mumias in Kakamega county.
Commissioner General of Kenya Prisons Wycliffe Ogalo was sacked Wednesday by president Uhuru Kenyatta and replaced by Brigadier (Rtd) John Kibaso Warioba.
At least ten prison wardens and officers have been arrested and detained for 25 days over the escape as the search for the convicts goes on.
The move followed a breach in security at the prison.
The group removed a stone on the wall of their cell before using a rope to escape through two tall walls.
A statement from State House said the move to sack Ogalo was informed by the incident.
“The briefing noted the compelling public interest in the matter and the need to entrench accountability in the ranks of the leadership of all security organs in honour of the many Kenyans who have lost their lives and the enormous sacrifices made by all Kenyans and particularly the security organs to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat terror networks,” read the statement.
Kenyatta also directed Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiang’i to spare no resource in pursuing and capturing the Kamiti escapees.
He urged all State investigative agencies to bring every person found to have been involved in the prison break to full account.
The president further directed the State Department of Correctional Services to begin disciplinary action against all prisons staff who were on duty when the security breach occurred.
This includes redeployment and/or immediate suspension of those found culpable.
“The Head of State and Government has urged all Kenyans to volunteer any information that will lead to the tracing and arrest of the three escapees. He also thanked all our security personnel for their tireless and heroic work in law enforcement and counterterrorism,” added the statement.
“The President further urged all Kenyans to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities to our security agencies as we all have a shared duty to defend and protect our freedoms and way of life that is at risk with the rising threats of terror within the region.”
