At least 13 police officers were arrested and detained for interrogation following the escape of six suspected hardcore
criminal suspects from the Siaya Law Courts on Monday evening.
Police said the circumstances
surrounding the escape remain unclear.
The officers were later released on
bond pending further investigations.
Their mobile phones were
confiscated, according to police.
The suspects — Fredrick Wafula, John Ngote,
Farid Kimtai, John Okumu, Albert Otieno, and Kevin Otieno — had appeared in
court on robbery with violence charges.
However, they managed to flee as
they were being escorted back to remand.
Siaya County Police Commander Serah
Koki confirmed that all 13 officers on duty at the time are under
investigation.
She said the suspects remain at
large, and efforts to locate and re-arrest them are ongoing.
Such incidents have been frequent
amid ongoing investigations into possible collusion.
In February 2025, a terror suspect escaped
from a police cell under unclear circumstances at Elwak Police Station in
Mandera County.
Muse Muhumed Abdule had been
detained there since February 9 after his arrest over suspected terror links.
He was produced in court, and an
order was issued to hold him pending further investigation. He escaped on February
14.
A police officer who went to
retrieve him for questioning found he was missing.
Two officers who were on duty at the
time were arrested for investigation after it emerged there was no sign of
forced entry into the cell, raising suspicions that the suspect may have been
allowed to leave.
In the past two years, nearly 250
suspects—most facing serious charges—have escaped from custody across the
country, according to police.
Officers handling high-risk suspects
are expected to take extra precautions, including adherence to special
procedures regarding their detention, supervision, and visitation.
At least 14 suspects, including
hardcore criminals, have escaped from Wundanyi Prison and police stations in
Bomet and Moiben.
On January 26, eight inmates escaped
from Wundanyi Prison by cutting through the roof and slipping out unnoticed.
Five have since been rearrested.
