A man was shot dead and another escaped on Tuesday afternoon during a daring attempted jailbreak in Embu West Sub-county.
The incident happened in the Gatondo area as two remandees tried to flee while being transported from Siakago Law Courts.
According to Embu West OCPD Vincent Kitili, the two men attacked the police officers escorting them by spraying them with pepper, then jumped out of the prison van and made a run for it.
The officers, momentarily blinded and caught off guard, quickly gave chase.
One of the escapees, Swaleh Oswado, a former ODM aspirant for the Kirimari Ward MCA seat, was shot and killed during the pursuit.
Police say he had run into a nearby maize farm and then into an unfinished house, where he reportedly picked up a panga and threatened officers.
“He tried to climb over a wall to escape into a nearby compound,” Kitili said. “When he refused to surrender and posed a threat, our officers were forced to open fire. He died on the spot.”The second suspect fled into the nearby surrounding bushes and has still not been found. The neighbouring police stations were notified as reinforcements, and the search for him is ongoing.
"We are asking the residents to be on to help us work together, alert and report anyone who appears suspicious," stated Kitili.Police say Oswado was a high-risk detainee with several serious criminal charges.
“He wasn’t just a former politician,” Kitili noted. “He had multiple cases in court, and that made him very dangerous.”Oswado’s body was taken to Embu Level Five Hospital mortuary as officers processed the scene.
Authorities have assured the public that security has been heightened and that efforts to recapture the escaped inmate are underway.
