This archive report was first published on 5 August 2020.
On June 28, Samuel Gitau Githinji, 22, made a daring escape from Kamiti Maximum Security Prison while under the custody of Kenya Prisons' corporal Nelson Kamau.
According to reports, Githinji was serving a three-year sentence handed to him by Kikuyu law courts in November last year after he was convicted for burglary and stealing.
He had served six months of his sentence at the time of the escape.
On the day of the escape, Githinji was among inmates working at the prison's dairy farm when he noticed that the officers and other inmates were not paying attention to him.
He took advantage of the situation and ran away, abandoning a wheelbarrow he was using to carry manure.
A manhunt was launched, but Githinji was not rearrested during the subsequent search.
He was eventually tracked down to his home in Kikuyu by police.
On August 5, 2020, Githinji was sentenced to one year in jail by chief magistrate Joyce Gandani of Kibera law courts after he pleaded guilty to charges of escaping from lawful custody.
