Gov't bows to pressure to reward Sh60 million after re-arrest of Kamiti escapees

The government has succumbed to pressure from members of the public to give the Sh60 million reward for the arrest of the three suspects who escaped from Kamiti Maximum Security Prison.

In a statement released by Police Spokesperson Bruno Shioso on Sunday night, November 21, he said the reward would be given as Sh20 million for each of the three escapees.

“Subsequent to the capture of the escapees, there has been a high public interest in the fate of the promised cash reward.

"The government acknowledges that the re-arrests of the suspects was made possible with the support from members of the public. Indeed, the accounts of several people who separately claim to have played a role in the capture have been reported extensively in the media,” read part of the statement.

Police Spokesperson Bruno Shioso at the podium during a past press briefing Pulse Live Kenya

He added that the government intends to honor its pledge on the cash reward offer which will, however, be subject to a due verification process to ensure the reward goes to deserving recipients.

“The security nature of the incident and the risk of harm to those who genuinely aided the capture of the high value trio may militate against a full public disclosure of the eventual beneficiaries of the cash reward.

“Finally, subsequent investigation following the recapture of the convicted escapees is progressing well. Crucial leads have so far been collected from the scene of arrest and undergoing forensic analysis,” the communication stated.

Detectives are now investigating how two phones and a flash disk found near the scene where the trio was captured can help uncover more details.

Also found near the scene was a piece of paper with a phone number written on it.

Interior CS Fred Matiang’i had earlier stated that the government would not give the Sh60 million reward.

"No...no...no, we are not going there at the moment. Let us not be speculative about this. We are going to work on this meticulously as my colleagues have said,” responded CS Matiang’i when asked by journalist about the cash reward.