4 September 2010

Nairobi — Police have foiled an escape suspect by a foreigner who is on remand on suspicion that he is a drug trafficker.

The suspect had complained of an illness and was driven to the Kenyatta National Hospital in the Prisons bus as is the practice.

But on discharge from the hospital, a senior police officers told the Nation, a prison warder led the prisoner to a waiting private car and drove off. The duo was intercepted by officers from Kilimani police station who had been tipped off about the attempted escape.

Commissioner of Prisons Isaiah Osugo confirmed the incident to the Sunday Nation and said that he had asked police to investigate.

"He was in the custody of my officers but in a private car. We have asked police to investigate and if there was any collusion between KNH staff, my officers or any other person, they should be prosecuted," said Mr Osugo. "We had good information in time and they were intercepted and rearrested. We have the suspect in our custody."

A police officer who declined to be named because he was not authorised by his seniors to speak to the Press said that the warder had broken procedure.

"We found that the warder had broken procedure. Any time a prisoner is to be transported by any other means aside from official Prisons vehicles, that can only be done with the approval of the Commissioner of Prisons but this was not the case," said the police officer.