This archive report was first published on 18 November 2021.
President Uhuru Kenyatta's decision to sack former Kenya Prisons Service Commissioner General Wycliffe Ogalo on November 17, 2021, sent shockwaves through the country's security apparatus.
According to sources, the crisis meeting at State House, Nairobi, which brought together top security officials, was convened to address the laxity in the security docket and the escape of three terrorism convicts from the Kamiti Maximum Prison.
As a result of the meeting, Ogalo and Kamiti Maximum Prison Commandant Charles Mutembei were among the top Kenya Prisons officials who were sacked.
Brigadier (Rtd.) John Kibaso Warioba was appointed as the new Prisons Boss and was immediately sworn into office.
However, the drama did not end there. A contingent of vehicles, including one with heavily armed members of the Anti-Terror Police Unit (ATPU), arrived at Magereza House, Nairobi, where Ogalo and Mutembei were whisked away by officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
But in a surprising twist, the National Police Service released a statement contradicting the arrest narrative, stating that police only facilitated a smooth and seamless handover of office.
Despite this, Ogalo's lawyers announced that he would be making a press statement at his home in Langata, where a stand-off ensued between Ogalo and the DCI officers who were deployed to escort him home.
After minutes of protracted negotiations, Ogalo agreed to be escorted home by the heavily armed officers.
