Escaped Terrorism Convicts and several disappearances leave Kenya on the edge

Kenya’s multi-agency security team has been on high alert since three convicted terrorists were re-arrested 72-hours after their daring escape from one of the most secure prison facilities in the country, the Kamiti Maximum Security Prison in Nairobi…

The three reportedly escaped from the facility after chiselling away and removing one building block from the wall in their cell, and then scaled the perimeter wall without being noticed, This comes as the country grapples with a new wave of enforced disappearances that has seen over 57 people go missing this year alone, with the anti-terror police unit being fingered.

Mysterious disappearance

The terror convicts’ escape follows an incident of the mysterious disappearance of another convicted terrorist Edwin Bwire from a Nairobi court, which also saw his mother and lawyer abducted by unknown gunmen and released several days later, On Thursday, the three Kamiti escapees, Mohamed Ali Abikar, Joseph Juma Odhiambo and Musharaf Abdalla Akhulunga were apprehended and rearrested in a remote village in Kitui County, about 180 km east of Nairobi.

Islamic State

The Monday escape put Kenya on high alert, especially after the terror attack in neighbouring Uganda which has sent panic and shock in East Africa, The Islamic State has since claimed responsibility for the two suicide attacks that left four dead and 35 injured in Uganda’s capital, Kampala, Kenya has also heightened security along its 800-km northern border following unrest in neighbouring Ethiopia.