Kamiti Escape Case: Three Prison Officers Convicted Over 2021 Terror Inmate Breakout
Court finds three Kamiti prison officers guilty over terror escape. Magistrate says the breakout was planned and took time to execute
Three officers from Kamiti Maximum Security Prison have been found guilty of their involvement in the escape of terror-linked inmates in 2021, following a successful case by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).
The ruling was delivered at the Kahawa Law Courts by Senior Principal Magistrate Boaz Ombewa.
In his judgment, the magistrate stated that the prison break was not accidental. He noted that the escape involved clear planning and deliberate actions that unfolded over a long period.
The court found that the conduct of the officers showed a clear failure to uphold their duties, allowing the escape to happen.
The convicted officers are Robert Kipkirui Soi, Kaikai Talengo Moses and Willy Wambua.
They were found guilty of several offences, including failing in their official responsibilities, helping prisoners escape custody, and holding meetings linked to a terrorist group.
Evidence presented in court showed that three inmates, Musharaf Abdala, who also used several other names, Mohamed Ali Abikar and Joseph Juma Odhiambo, escaped from Kamiti Prison between the night of November 14 and the morning of November 15, 2021.
At the time, all the inmates were serving sentences related to terrorism offences.
The court ruled that Soi and Talengo jointly neglected their duties by failing to stop the escape while on duty as Kenya Prisons Service officers.
Wambua was separately found guilty of directly helping the inmates flee and arranging a meeting involving convicted terror suspects inside the prison.
The court heard that Wambua enabled the movement of an inmate from one cell to another within Condemned Block “A”, creating room for a meeting between terror convicts.
This act was found to be in breach of the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
The prosecution team, led by Principal Prosecution Counsels James Machirah and Kennedy Amwayi, presented 14 witnesses whose evidence convinced the court beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case will now move to sentencing, scheduled for January 20, 2026, when the court will decide the punishment to be handed to the convicted officers.
