Chaos at Langata Women's prison

By Cyrus Ombati

There were chaos and drama at the Langata Women's prisons, Nairobi after capital remandees went on riot and damaged property in protest against a search on contraband goods.

Authorities at the prison had began to search for the contrabands which included mobile phones and cooking equipment when the women prisoners turned violent and started to beat them.

Prison authorities said water and sewer pipes were vandalized and damaged in the riots that took the intervention of civilian police to contain on Monday.

Commandant of prisons Isaiah Osugo confirmed the incident saying the remandees turned violent after learning authorities were planning to conduct a search for contrabands.

"They usually use these gadgets to harass and con innocent wananchi. We will get them because it is illegal for them to have them in prisons," said Osugo.

The prison boss said the incident was the first one to occur in women prisons and added no prisoner escaped during the fracas.

Prison authorities have been confiscating mobile phones from prisoners after it emerged they use them to con and threaten wananchi. The authorities have installed communication jammers in some prisons in efforts to contain the menace.