How I found myself in Kamiti, and redemption

Eric Oduor Ochoro. (Courtesy)

It was in the early evening hours on a weekday when Eric Oduor Ochoro’s life forever.

He tells The Standard about the ill-fated day in 2007 when a furious crowd caught up with him in the small town of Em-Bulbul, Kajiado, as he was heading home from work.

“I was coming from a gig where I was performing. It was around 8pm. At the time, I had a wife and an infant. Nikiwa on my way to BulBul, near a place called Inspector- I heard the shouts from a crowd saying ‘shikeni huyo!’”

Eric says he did not think much of the commotion as he was almost at his home, but the angry crowd reached him before he could get there. He explained where he was coming from and where he lived, attempting to de-escalate the situation.

“They came, looked through the house. My wife, she was scared and confused.”

After thoroughly combing through his house, and apparently finding nothing, the crowd led Eric outside, and police who were at the scene informed him that they were taking him into custody in order to conduct further investigation.

His accusers claimed that a robbery had occurred at a shop in the area, where around Ksh300,000 and a phone had been stolen.

Experience in Kamiti

Back to the evening when it all started, Eric was taken to Ngong Police Station.

“No one wanted to hear me. I was at the police station for 14 days. After that, they took me to the crime office, where they questioned and tortured me. They wanted me to confess. They also beat me up brutally,” he says.

He was charged with robbery, denied the accusation and was sent to remand awaiting hearing.

“The next day, I was taken to Kibera Law Court. Nilisomewa mashtaka. Niliskia wamenisomea mashtaka yangu as Robbery Stroke Two,” he says.

Initially, he thought he would be sent to Industrial Area or another, smaller prison, but was shocked to know his fate - he would be heading to the largest maximum security prison in Kenya.

“Soon the Moodi Hoppa came- we called them Moodi Hoppers as they were buses introduced by Moodi Awuori,” Eric says.

“In the bus, I saw someone I recognized from Kibera, where I grew up, and I had to ask about the bad boys from my neighbourhood who might recognize me and help me survive in jail.”

The men from Kibera all stayed on one block on the prison, as Eric would later learn. They let him into their block, where he shared a cell with soccer enthusiasts.

Later, he would take on a role as a speaker of prisoners, and this would help him survive in jail.

At first, he thought his case would be heard quickly and he would be released, but reality later dawned.

“Kesi inajivuta, I wasn’t ready, I didn’t know what to say during the court process, and I didn’t have money for a lawyer,” he says.

Asked about what part of the imprisonment at Kamiti was the worst, Eric firmly says: “In jail, there is nothing easy. Everything is bad. Everything is hell. From what you eat, to the toilet you use.”

“Unapata kuna mahali mfungwa amekufa unalala  na maiti kwa cell. Mtu amelemewa na kifungo, amefariki, unapata lazima mlale pale tu kwa cell na mwili wake one or two days wafanye uchunguzi,” Eric says, noting that sometimes, inmates would have to share a cell with a deceased person until guards were ready to take the body away.

Eric adds: “One of the things that helped me is that I took on a role as a speaker for the prisoners. That helped me get privileges like avoiding the queues and accessing essentials like toilet paper, toothpaste and boxers.

His Kibera friends were feared by other inmates, and this kept Eric safe from sodomy, which he says is rampant in prison. Joining a religious path also helped, as he say religious groups protect each other.

Release and life today

In the midst of doom and gloom, comedian Churchill Ndambuki visited Kamiti, and picked him to perform at a show due to his humorous nature.

“Bado nilikua ndani na nika piga show. Churchill told me that we would work together once I was out. God is great, as soon as I was released I was in Carnivore. I had a platform and I was so grateful,” Eric says.

He speaks about how he became a free man.

“My judgement was read out in the chambers in Kibera Law Courts. Grace Nzioka was the magistrate. Such a good woman, and not just because she let me go,” he says.

Eric’s eyes water as he recalls: “I was wearing a yellow Brazil Jersey, number 8. I was facing the death sentence. The hardest day is the judgement day. Asiponiachilia itakuwa aje?”

Finally, the court found that the prosecution could not prove beyond doubt that Eric had committed the crime.

After his release, Eric moved to Eastlands Nairobi, and has since met his current wife. Together, they have 3 children.

“I am still in the entertainment industry. Usanii iko kwa roho yangu. I do stand-up comedy, I MC for corporates and on roadshows,” Eric says of how he makes ends meet today.

“We also entertain the kids in schools. Mimi hutafuta vibarua, we set up bouncing castles, etc. I do activations for sales and marketing, promoting sale of phones and electronics.”