• IG of Police Hilary Mutyambai said that the government will now commence a verification process in order to ensure that the reward goes to, “deserving recipients”.
• A team has since been sent to the ground in Kitui to talk to witnesses and authorities as they probe the matter.
Image: ANDREW KASUKU
Police say they will honour their pledge of awarding a cash prize to Kenyans who aided a multi-agency security team in the arrest of convicted terrorists who had escaped from the Kamiti Maximum Prison.
Inspector-General of Police Hilary Mutyambai said that the government will now commence a verification process in order to ensure that the reward goes to, “deserving recipients”.
“The government intends to honour its pledge on the cash reward offer. This will however be subject to a due verification process to ensure the reward goes to deserving recipients,” said Mutyambai.
He added the security nature of the incident and the risk of harm to those who genuinely aided the capture of the convicts may militate against full public disclosure of the eventual beneficiaries of the cash reward.
He said the rearrest of the suspects was made possible with the support from emcees of the public.
Accounts of several people who separately claim to have played a role in the capture have been reported extensively in the media which now requires further checks before the payment of the Sh60 million is made.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) placed a Sh60 million bounty on their recapture of the convicts upon provision of crucial information from members of the public.
There have been several claims by individuals to authorities seeking the bounty.
A team has since been sent to the ground in Kitui where the three terrorists Musharraf Abdalla Akhulunga a.k.a Zarkarawi, Mohammed Ali Abikar and Joseph Juma Odhiambo a.k.a Yusuf who escaped on November 15 were recaptured three days later as they headed for Somalia.
The team is supposed to talk to witnesses and authorities as they probe the matter.
They are among others supposed to know who spotted the men first what the individuals did.
The three terrorists were arrested as they escaped to Somalia.
SWEEPING CHANGES
Last Wednesday, President Uhuru Kenyatta sacked Wycliffe Ogalo as the Commissioner-General of the Kenya Prisons Service.
This follows the breach in security at the Kamiti which led to the escape of three terror convicts.
Uhuru appointed and witnessed the swearing-in of Ogalo’s successor, Brigadier (Rtd) John Kibaso Warioba the same day.
The Head of State made the decision on the back of a briefing from the ministry responsible for correctional services regarding the Kamiti Maximum Security Prison 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 while Odhiambo was arrested in 2019 for trying to join the Somali terror group.
Akhulunga was arrested in 2012 over a foiled attack on Kenya’s parliament and charged with possessing explosives, ammunition and firearms.
Warioba has since visited major prisons facilities in the city and announced leadership changes.
Nicholas Maswai was moved to Eastern as the commander, Dickson Mwakazi was moved and named director of legal, Patrick Arandu head of Central region, James Too head of logistics and Josephine Mwanza was posted to prisons college.
Edited by D Tarus