Inmates protest death of colleague at Naivasha GK prison

Operations at Naivasha GK prison were paralysed for the better part of the day after the close to 3,000 inmates went on the rampage and refused to report to their workplace to protest the death of an inmate.

Operations at Naivasha GK prison were paralysed for the better part of the day after the close to 3,000 inmates went on the rampage and refused to report to their workplace to protest the death of an inmate.

The inmates, who include over 1,000 serving life and death sentences, boycotted meals before engaging prison warders in running battles inside the highly guarded institution.

The inmates claimed that their middle-aged colleague died after he was assaulted by warders, an allegation the prison denied.

Speaking on the phone, the officer in charge of the prison, Gerald Ongume, blamed the anxiety on a group of inmates who did not want to work.

“We cannot allow a small group to incite the others not to work, which is against the law. Our officers intervened to make sure that there is law and order in the prison,” he said.

Ongume denied allegations that the inmate had died from assault, adding that he had been ailing and was admitted to the hospital for some days.

“The inmate had been sick before he passed on in the hospital, and some inmates wanted to take advantage of the situation by failing to work, but the situation has since been contained,” he said.