Five Kenyan police officers have been arraigned before court for aiding escape of suspected serial killer and 12 others from a station in Nairobi, the country’s capital.
Prosecutors asked the court to detain the policemen, who were on duty during Tuesday’s jail break, for two weeks to allow officers to complete a thorough investigation into their alleged involvement.
On Wednesday during the court proceedings, the prosecutor appealed that the judge grant the law enforcement agency more time to collect statements, preview the CCTV footage and examine the policemen’s phones.
Among the escapees was Collins Jumaisi who was arrested recently over the murder of at least six women whose bodies were discovered wrapped in plastic bags in an old quarry, which is now used as a rubbish dump.
The Police alleged that Jumaisi admitted to killing 42 women including his wife, but his lawyer told a court he was tortured into making a confession. Prosecutors deny he had been mistreated.
However, Preliminary investigations showed that insiders aided the escape, police said in a statement , adding that they had launched a man-hunt to re-arrest the escapees.
A police report revealed Jumaisi and 12 Eritrean nationals were discovered missing from their cell at about 05:00 (0200 GMT) on Tuesday, and were thought to have escaped by cutting through a wire mesh over the window in their cell.
The court’s decision on the detention request and investigation timeline is awaited. Meanwhile, the search for the escapees continues, and the public remains vigilant.
