This archive report was first published on 18 November 2021.
President Uhuru Kenyatta's decision to sack Wycliffe Ogalo as the Commissioner-General of Prisons Service has sparked a heated debate, with Deputy President William Ruto leading the criticism.
On November 18, 2021, DP Ruto issued a statement expressing his disappointment with the President's decision, citing the mistreatment of junior officers in the wake of the security breaches at Kamiti Maximum Security Prison.
The security breaches led to the escape of three inmates, who were later arrested in Mwingi East, Kitui, after a three-day manhunt.
DP Ruto urged President Kenyatta to focus on the senior officers responsible for the security breaches, including Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i and Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho, who he accused of engaging in politics at the expense of protecting the lives and properties of Kenyans.
President Kenyatta had ordered the State Department of Correctional Services to sanction disciplinary action against all Kenya Prisons Service personnel who were on duty when the security breaches occurred, including redeployment and immediate suspension of all affected officers.
He also directed CS Matiang'i and all security officials to pursue the Kamiti escapees with all available resources and urged all state investigative agencies to bring every person found culpable to full account.
