Prison convicts battled prison warders at the Manyani Maximum Security Prison on Friday morning, January 8. Several prisoners attacked warders who wanted to remove the body of a deceased convict from one of the cells.
The prisoners claimed that their colleague had succumbed to injuries he incurred after being assaulted by prison officers.
They added that he was rushed to Voi Hospital in Taita Taveta County for treatment but passed away after being discharged.
A fierce battle ensued after the convicts attempted to block the officers from removing the body which was to be ferried to the morgue.
The warders overpowered the inmates who were injured in the altercation. Some of the warders also incurred minor injuries.
Taita Taveta County Prisons Commander Bison Madegwa confirmed the death of the prisoner but refuted reports that he died mysteriously.
Madegwa insisted that he passed on while receiving treatment at the hospital.
“The deceased has been receiving treatment at the hospital for one week. He has been suffering from a blood clot where several tests had been conducted on him at the hospital.
"We have more than 50 hardcore inmates brought to the facility from Kamiti Maximum Security Prisons and Naivasha. They were convicted of capital offence ad are very troublesome," Madegwa argued.
He added that investigations were underway and that a post-mortem would be conducted to ascertain the cause of death.
Manyani prison is notorious for the harsh conditions inmates have to endure while incarcerated there. In May 2018, reports surfaced of the hard life prisoners were subjected to at the facility.
Pictures showed that inmates slept on bare floors, the privileged few had beddings. Their items were also hung on the wall above where they slept and the state of latrines was pathetic.
