Eleven robbery with violence suspects in daring escape

By robert nyasato

Eleven remandees at the Kisii GK Prison staged a daring daylight escape from a police vehicle as they were being transported to the Nyamira Law Courts on Monday morning.

There were 45 remandees in the vehicle when they made a break for it at Nyaikuro along the Kisii-Nyamira road, some 25 kilometres from Kisii Prison. The inmates, all facing robbery with violence charges, vanished after overpowering six armed policemen who were guarding them en-route to the court.

Nyamira OCPD Zadrack Maithya said the six policemen had left Nyamira to go escort the remandees who were due for a morning hearing in court. He said 34 remandees did not leave the vehicle as their colleagues vanished into nearby maize farms.

Road blocks

"It seems they had schemed for the escape as they attacked the officers when the vehicle was going uphill," Maithya told journalists.

Witnesses said one of the remandees grabbed a tear gas canister from a policeman and lobbed it before they engaged them in a scuffle leading to their escape.

However, the OCPD said the suspects caused confusion before escaping and denied that there was a shoot-out. He said police officers with help from the public managed to re-arrest four of the escapees. A search for the seven still at large was ongoing with officers combing villages near the escape scene.

The Standard established that police had mounted roadblocks along the Kisii-Nyamira road and were searching vehicles for the escapees.

"The apprehended escapees will be charged with escaping from lawful custody," the OCPD said.

However, it was not immediately clear why only six policemen were detailed to escort such a large number of suspects facing capital charges. The police boss said they had launched investigation to find out if there was negligence on their part.

"Nobody will be spared. If they (police) will be found to have committed an offence, they will face the law," he warned. He appealed to the public to volunteer information saying the remandees still at large were dangerous criminals.