About a year ago, on November 14th 2021, CCTV cameras at the Kamiti maximum prison malfunctioned and it was not reported; an error that proved costly to the nation and its government.

Three terror convicts with a high criminal profile escaped from the prison fortress. The three were Musharaf Abdalla Akhulanga (Zarkarawi/Alex/Shukri), Mohammed Ali Abikar and Joseph Juma (Yusuf).

Kenyans gripped with fear, remembered how they terrorized the nation back in the day. The story of how casually they strolled out of the maximum security prison simply amplified the fear.

The government called for a search operation for the three terrorists and issued a bounty worth Sh. 60 million on their heads, available to any Kenyan who would have the whereabouts of the terrorists.

Luckily, Kitui officers from the Kenya Police Reserves (KPR) spotted the three at a local village in Kamuluyuni area of Kitui County, four days after earning their short-lived freedom. They apprehended the convicts after a bitter tussle and chase in the dry, thorny landscape covering Kitui county.

The three were taken to court for trial and had the audacious enough to state that if given another shot at escaping, they would not even hesitate for a second.

The heroes who caught the terrorists have yet to be paid a single cent, claiming that the government had forgotten them despite taking a bold risk and facing the terrorists

Komu Kilonzi, one of the Kitui KPR officers argued that their efforts helped keep the country safe. He recalled how he daringly faced off with Musharaf, emphasizing that the government should honor their words.

“Musharaf launched himself at me, his massive frame shooting through the air and hitting me in the ribs. We both fell to the ground as he fought to flee from being captured. Luckily, I got the better of him and pinned him to the ground,” Kilonzi recounts.

His colleagues helped capture him before giving chase to two others and apprehending them. The convicts said had offered the officers a bribe, claiming to have been in touch with affluent people at Boni Forest who would pay them well in exchange for their freedom.

Instinctively, the KPR officers called the police station at Mwingi to come collect the escapees, in hopes that their new ‘bounty wealth’ would turn a new leaf for them.

“They told us that kampuni yetu ni kubwa (our group is large), in reference to the Al Shabaab terror group, and that their masters would not hesitate to bail them out,” explained Jacob Mutisya, another KPR officer.

One year and counting, not even a shilling from the promised Sh. 60 million bounty. Some of the officers believe that it was released, and ended up in other people’s pockets.

The officers hoped that even if they did not get a penny from what was promised, a Head of State Commendation (HSC) would do well with them.