Police are looking into a surprising security failure after a convicted prisoner, identified as Alex Kibisu, escaped from the Kibera Law Courts just moments before a sentencing session.
Questions are being raised about how a handcuffed inmate managed to get past multiple security officers and jump over the court’s perimeter wall without being stopped.
The dramatic escape happened around midday, leaving prison and court officials in confusion and embarrassment. Reports say Kibisu fled the holding cells located at the back of the court and leapt over the rear perimeter wall — all while still in handcuffs.
Kibisu is currently serving a 20-year sentence at Kamiti Maximum Security Prison after being convicted of robbery with violence.
On the day of the escape, he was appearing in court to answer to a separate charge linked to a 2023 armed robbery in Lang’ata, where he is accused of shooting and injuring a man named Duncan Shiemi during a mugging.
Investigators believe he escaped through a section of the wall behind the court cells, a place that is usually under constant watch.
That wall, according to residents, opens into the dense and maze-like structures of the Kibera slums, an area known for being hard to navigate and difficult for police to pursue suspects.
In response, prison officers and police teams have set up a temporary base in the Kibera slums, where they suspect Kibisu may have vanished into the crowded and confusing network of informal homes and alleys.
Police believe Kibisu likely used this densely populated area to vanish without leaving a trace. Despite ongoing efforts, he remains missing, and prison authorities are yet to issue any official statement about the incident.
Meanwhile, public pressure is mounting, with many people demanding answers. There’s growing concern about the possible weaknesses in the security setup at the Kibera Law Courts.
Many are wondering how such a high-risk prisoner managed to evade four security checkpoints, all of which were reportedly manned by armed guards.
There are also concerns over the silence from the Prisons Department. The public wants to know what actions will be taken to make sure such a serious breach does not happen again.
At the moment, investigators are still interrogating the prison wardens from Kamiti who were responsible for escorting Kibisu to the court. Questions are being asked about whether there was negligence, collusion, or simply a major lapse in protocol.
Kibisu had originally been sentenced to death for robbery with violence. However, after an appeal, the sentence was reduced to 20 years in prison for each count, to be served concurrently starting from December 11, 2023.
His escape happened while he was appearing in Courtroom 3 for another robbery with violence case. The incident has not only embarrassed prison and court authorities but has also sparked a national conversation about how secure Kenya’s judicial facilities really are.
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