This archive report was first published on 13 August 2019.
On August 13, 2019, detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) made a significant arrest at Manyani Maximum Prison in Voi. Two prison warders, identified as Constables Boniface Korir and William Chengo, were caught on CCTV camera hiding contraband in a toilet.
The DCI reported the arrest through their official Twitter account, stating that the two warders were also found in possession of ammunition without authority. This arrest comes just a day after 133 senior prisons officers were reshuffled.
Prison corruption is a long-standing issue in Kenya, with cases of unethical warders assisting inmates with selling contraband or allowing them to receive goods from friends and relatives at a fee. In 2018, inmates at the Industrial Area Remand and Allocation Prison in Nairobi went on a hunger strike to protest alleged brutality and harassment by prison warders.
During the strike, the inmates shared images showing physical injuries on the body of one of them who was apparently beaten up by a prison officer. The inmates also claimed that a prison officer at the facility had been assaulting them, leading to the death of one inmate. However, the Director of Operations at the prison, James Kodieny, refuted the allegations, stating that the inmates were protesting a change of guard and confiscation of contraband, including drugs and mobile phones at the facility.
