From left: Gerald Mutuku, Zachary Nyabuto, Mollent Achieng, Evans Kipkirui and Ronald Babo, the five police officers attached to Gigiri Police Station at Milimani Law Courts
A senior police officer and his junior are the prime suspects in investigations into the escape from Gigiri police cells by 13 suspects who include a suspected serial killer.
One duty officer who had the keys to the police cells has told investigators he was asleep at one of the offices for most of the night but recalls he stirred awake at some point and heard a vehicle outside the station.
In his statement, he insists he still had the keys by the time his colleague at the reporting desk came to check on him - it was around 3am, the same time that he heard the vehicle- and his colleague informed him the boss had come around but everything was in order.
Detectives are investigating whether the keys were taken from him as he slept or the possibility that the two rogue police officers had duplicate keys to the cells which they used to free the detainees who include 12 Eritreans who are believed to have bought their freedom.
Collins Jumaisi Khalusha, who had been arrested following the discovery of mutilated bodies at the Kware dump site, also escaped from the cells in circumstances that are still unclear.
Jumaisi had spent over a month at the Gigiri police cells.
Details of the events leading to the escape are contained in a preliminary report handed over to police chiefs at Jogoo House and copied to Vigilance House, the police headquarters.
On the day of the escape, there were 17 prisoners in the Gigiri police cells. There were 12 foreigners and another four suspects who had been arrested for being drunk and disorderly.
On that day, two police officers had been stationed at the report office, another two officers were deployed to guard the police station.
A senior police officer from Spring Valley police station was deployed to supervise the night activities in the police station under the Westland’s sub-county police command.
The police stations that this senior officer was supposed to supervise include: Runda police station, Gigiri police station, Spring Valley police station and Parklands police station.
The assignment of this senior officer was to go round these police stations and supervise the night activities. This officer also known as duty officer, is mandated to visit all these police stations and check on the night operations.
By mid-night, the senior officer is supposed to go round the stations and conduct a routine check on all suspects in the cells.
On that night, the duty officer arrived at the Gigiri police station shortly after mid-night and demanded to know from the officer at the report office the number of suspects in the cells.
The report said when the senior officer arrived only one of the two policemen who were on duty at the report office was present.
The senior officer did not go into the cells and only inquired from the officer at the report office on the number of people in the cells before leaving.
Around 3am, the Nairobi Area control room called the Gigiri station boss on the police pocket phone.
This is the time when the police conduct a routine check on the activities around the police stations in Nairobi. At that time, referred to as morning call up, the controller at police headquarters will call out all station commanders and inquire if there are any major incidents in their areas.
Up to that time, no one knew of the escape of prisoners from the Gigiri police cells.
It was not until 5.30 am when the canteen staff arrived in the cells that it was established that only four suspects were in there.
A senior police officer familiar with the matter yesterday told the Nation that upon interrogation, one of the officers at the report office had confessed that he had slept while his colleague kept watch at the report office.
The officer who had gone to sleep told his seniors that he could not explain how the suspects walked to freedom.
This officer was however in possession of the keys to the cells.
Investigators believe that someone at the station could have a duplicate key or that the officer was lying.
The second officer at the report office told his seniors that while his colleague took a nap, he kept watch at the station and did not see anyone leave the cells.
Police procedures require that once a suspect arrives at a police station, the first thing that officers at the station report office do is to book him or her into the Occurrence Book.
In the OB, the officer will record the time when the suspect has been brought and the nature of offence.
The officers will then conduct a body search on the suspect. The suspect will then be instructed to hand over all valuables including mobile phone cash and belt.
These details will be recorded as part of the prisoner’s property for safe keeping.
After this, the suspect will be directed into the cells as their details are transferred into the police station cell register for the suspects who will be spending the night behind bars.
It is the cell register that will be used by the station commander to order food for the suspects in custody and also account for the people in the cells.
The cell register will then be handed over to the station commander (OCS) and will be used to conduct a head count whenever needed.
In the event that a suspect will be leaving the police cells, their exit from the police cells will be recorded in the OB. The station commander, or an officer who is authorised, can order for the release of a suspect by indicating on the OB.
The area around the report office is manned 24 hours by armed police officers. This makes it hard for anyone who has not been cleared by the OCS to leave the police cells.
On Thursday, five police officers who were on duty on the night when the suspects vanished from the police cells were released by a Nairobi court on Sh 200,000 bond.
State prosecutor James Gachoka had petitioned Nairobi Magistrate Martha Naanzushi to order that the officers be detained for 14 days pending investigations into the jailbreak.
The prosecution told the court that the officers be detained at Spring Valley, Runda and Parklands as the probe is completed.
Benedict Kaulu, who is leading the investigations, told the court that the police are to record statements from over five witnesses.
Their mobile phones have since been presented to the cybercrime unit based at DCI headquarters forensic lab for further analysis.
Acting Inspector General of Police Gilbert Masegeli told journalists that eight police officers who include the Westlands sub-county police commander, Gigiri police station commander had been interdicted to pave way for investigations. Masengeli has confirmed the interdiction.
