President Uhuru Kenyatta has appointed Brigadier (Rtd) John Kibaso Warioba to restore sanity in the prisons department following the recent case where three terror convicts escaped from Kamiti Maximum Prison.
Kibaso replaced Wycliffe Ogalo on Wednesday, November 17, after the latter was sent packing following the recent security breach at the country's most guarded correction facility. The three escapees drilled a hole in the prison and improvised by cutting blankets to scale up the facility which is under 24 hours surveillance.
Their escape triggered national interest and the need to entrench accountability in the ranks of the leadership of all security organs which compelled Uhuru to pick Kibaso to clean up the system.
But who is this man Kibaso?
Kibaso has had quite a successful tenure in the military service. His devotion and service to defend the nation has earned him top influential posts in the army.
According to his social media pages, Kibaso attended King's College in the United Kingdom where he pursued Masters of Arts in international security and Strategy merit.
He went to a local primary school before joining Homa Bay High School. After that, he decided to join the army.
He first hit the headlines back in 2014 when he was promoted to a powerful position in the military. Uhuru promoted Kibaso to Brigadier and Commander 2 Brigade from his colonel position. His appointment was informed by the advice of the Defence Council under the chairmanship of the then Cabinet Secretary for Defence Raychelle Omamo.
His promotion also saw the current Chief of Defense Forces, Robert Kariuki Kibochi promoted to Major General and appointed Assistant Chief of Defence Forces Operations, Doctrine, and Training Defence Headquarters.
In 2015, Kibaso was conferred with the Second Class: Elder of the Order of the Burning Spear (E.B.S.). This was in recognition of his distinguished and outstanding services rendered to the nation in his capacity as a military officer.
In 2019, he was picked to oversee the countrywide recruitment of KDF officers. Kibaso was the Chief Recruiting Officer (CRO) that was running for a period of three weeks. He was tasked with picking the best recruits to fill the roles of General Service Officers (Cadets), Specialists Officers (Cadets), General duty recruits, Tradesmen/women, Technicians and Artisans, Constables and former National Youth Servicemen/Women.
Before he retired from the army, Kibaso also served as Commandant of the School of Infantry.
Right now he has been tasked with restoring sanity and cleaning up the prisons department that has been at the center of attraction. The first case that attracted interest was that of the self-confessed serial killer Masten Wanjala who escaped from Jogoo Road Police Station. He was later nabbed and lynched in Bungoma county.
Just last week, two robbery with violence suspects escaped from police custody in Eldoret. Although they apprehended, the cases raised eyebrows on the prisons department.
To seal the loophole, Uhuru has gone back to the former military man to save his face. Right now, all eyes are on him to see if he will bring to an end the cases of prison breaks.
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