Prisoners; curse haunts warder

By Nanjinia Wamuswa

He is a former prison warder, and is said to be a victim of a mental illness for the last 35 years. So feared is he that very few would dare cross his path in Mumias town.

Yet Harrison Makokha, though violent to other people, is a good and harmless man at home.

"At home he is normal and you can actually reason with him on important issues," says his wife Jane Migale. Yet on occasions he is given to bouts of violence that has made few venture into their compound.

Strange Illness

Jane believes that her husband’s tribulations have everything to do with his work as a prison warder for many years. Fellow villagers concur, that he might have misused his position to mistreat or harm inmates within the prison walls hence the strange illness that has defied medical science.

Jane Migale and her husband Harrison at their home in Mumia. Photos: Nanjinia Wamuswa

Crazy Monday paid the couple a visit, though the neighbours had warned that it was going to be a tough call. "But carry some money, this will soften him," one neighbour advised.

Right at the gate was the fiery Makokha, "Who are you? Nobody enters my home without paying. Bring something for my sugar," he commanded.

When he noticed the writer’s hesitation, Makokha started getting his panga and clubs, his intentions clear.

However, Sh20 coin did the trick and he soon cooled down and went on his way.

Unfortunately his wife was not at home and the children had no idea where she was. When he was asked about the whereabouts of his wife, Makokha quickly demanded an extra Sh50.

Jane was at the backyard, about 500 metres, picking vegetables for the day’s meal. The 59-year old, revealed how she got married to Makokha, two years her junior in 1971. By then he was a prison warder at Kamiti Maximum Prison, having been posted there in 1961. They solemnised their marriage two years later.

Makokha was later made a clerk, before being promoted again to a position of a senior Storekeeper Grade One taking home a salary of Sh106.25. This was the hallmark of their three years of bliss.

"We lived in Lang’ata in a good house. Anything one would wish for in life was at our disposal," she said. Makokha was later transferred to Mombasa’s Shimo La Tewa prison in the same capacity in 1974 but this marked the turning point in the couple’s life.

A Shocking Experience

The same year, Makokha suffered a mental illness that saw him on and off his job. And though the Government treated him for almost ten years, he never recovered fully. In1986 he was relieved of his duties on medical grounds.

Back at their rural home in Mumias, Jane was completely unaware that her husband had been discharged from duty until she saw a government vehicle drive into their compound.

"I saw two officers pull him out of the vehicle and I sensed all was not well. I asked if all was well but he did not answer," recalls Jane.

The following day Makokha left early to the nearby Mumias town and caused havoc. He hit anyone in sight with a club that had become part of him. At first people were afraid of him and he chased them all over town. Soon, however, his victims began retaliating.

"Many days that followed he used to come home injured and bleeding. Despite this, no one could stop him from going to town," says Jane.

With time his violence reduced though he would occasionally cause terror on those around him.

The couple had 11 children, four of them who have since died. Two of their sons also developed symptoms like their father’s but they have since recovered.

"I’m still not settled for there’s no assurance the illness has gone completely from my sons. It might reappear like it did to their father. Or even take on somebody else," says the visibly worried mother.

All through the interview, Makokha remains detached but would occasionally demand more money, which the wife would dismiss.