Like scenes straight out of a movie, some recent jail escapes in Kenya have shocked the nation and left Kenyans with numerous questions.
From quietly sneaking out of cells to digging through walls, Nairobileo.co.ke highlights three of the most daring escapes below:
Collins Jumaisi jail escape
This is the most recent jail escape that left Kenyans rattled. The suspect behind the Kware murders escaped from Gigiri Police Station on Tuesday morning, August 20, 2024.
Jumaisi escaped police custody together with 12 other suspects who broke through the cells by cutting through a wire mesh, before climbing the perimeter wall of the station to escape.
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Jumaisi was arrested on July 15 in Kayole area, Nairobi, and according to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), he confessed to luring and killing 42 women.
"The suspect confessed to have lured, killed, and disposed of 42 female bodies at the dumping site all murdered between 2022 and as recent as Thursday, July 11, 2024. The suspect alleged that his first victim was his wife who he strangled to death before disposing of her body at the site," DCI boss Mohamed Amin stated on July 15, 2024.
DCI has since pledged a cash reward for information leading to the rearrest of Jumaisi who remains at large.
Terror Convicts Escape from Kamiti Prison
In November 2021, three terror convicts escaped from Kamiti Maximum Prison, one of the most highly guarded prisons in the country.
According to the DCI, the convicts, Musharraf Abdalla, Joseph Juma, and Mohammed Abdi, escaped quietly at around 1:00 a.m. on Monday, November 15, 2021.
The directorate disclosed that the three used different techniques to communicate with their accomplices outside the jail to ensure they were not easily noticeable by the public.
DCI then pledged a Ksh60 million reward to anyone with information leading to the arrest of the terror convicts.
Days later, the convicts were recaptured in Mwingi, Kitui County, as they attempted to flee to Somalia.
They were flown to Nairobi, making a dramatic landing from a police chopper. Blindfolded and escorted one by one under tight security, the scene was momentous.
The trio was later sentenced to an additional 15 months each, on top of their original sentences, for the jail escape.
Bungoma jail escape in 2020
On Sunday morning, August 16, 2020, 11 remandees escaped from Bungoma Central Police Station, where they were being held.
According to the police, the remandees dug through the walls at the back of the cells which they were being held in at 3:00 a.m. before disappearing.
The then Bungoma OCPD Winfred Nanga told the press that they used a metal bar to dig through thick wall.
“They used a metal bar which they cut from the frame of the inner door. A number of them are charged with serious offences like robbery and defilement. They were remanded at the police station waiting to be tested for COVID-19 before being taken to prison,” Nanga then told the press.
However, one of the escapees was arrested moments after being shot in the thigh by the police at Bungoma Airstrip as he tried to escape.
Two others were also apprehended days later, as the remaining went large.
