A man on remand at the Migori Prison has died under unclear circumstances.
The man died at the Migori County Referral Hospital while undergoing treatment.
ESCAPE
Migori County police chief Mr Joseph Nthenge said the inmate had informed them he was unwell.
“He was then taken to the hospital by the warders and died shortly thereafter,” he said.
The police boss said the name of the deceased would be withheld until his next of kin is informed.
The man was among two others who staged a daring escape from the prison on Sunday, but he and another inmate were caught near Migori River after a 10-minute chase.
The warders fired in the air several times, forcing the two to surrender.
DENIAL
At first, police denied that the dead prisoner was among the three inmates who had escaped.
But they later confirmed that he was one of the escapees.
Mr Nthenge said they are investigating his illness and death.
Malachi Owiti, a human rights activist in Migori, said the prisoner might have been tortured by the prison warders after he was rearrested, a claim the police have denied.
The third man, who was serving a life sentence for robbery with violence, was still on the run and was suspected to have crossed into Tanzania.
Security sources indicated that they were extending their search for the third escapee into Tanzania, and they were liaising with Tanzanian authorities to help with the search.
INVESTIGATIONS
The Migori Prisons is located barely 30 kilometres from the Kenya-Tanzania border.
The correctional centre is under 24-hour security surveillance and it remained unclear how the inmates escaped.
On Sunday, Mr Nthenge said: “We have launched investigations to establish under what circumstances the trio escaped in broad daylight. Thereafter, we will take necessary action.”
The incident caused panic among residents in town as gunshots rent the air.
“At first, I thought police were pursuing robbers only to learn later they were chasing escaping prisoners,” said Mr Luke Owiny.
Security was immediately beefed up within the prison, which has both male and female wings.
Warders who were on duty when the prisoners escaped recorded statements with the authorities.