Kenya cops arrest prison chiefs

2008-04-28 21:13

Nairobi - Kenyan police have arrested nine senior prison officials over suspected involvement in last week's unprecedented nationwide warders strike, police officials said on Monday.

"We have arrested nine top prison commanders and we are accusing them of mutiny linked to the nationwide strike," a top police commander said, requesting to remain unnamed.

Another police commander confirmed the arrests and said the suspects were involved in the strike that paralysed the country's 89 penal institutions.

"Investigations have shown they were accomplices. The senior officers appear to have had information long before the strike begun but no action was taken to stop it. In some cases they even fanned it," the officer added.

The officers were summoned to a crisis meeting in Nairobi late on Sunday but were detained upon arrival.

Thousands of warders went on strike on Friday, demanding the same $80 (R622.90) risk allowance recently awarded to police, as well as improved living and working conditions.

Officials had argued warders were excluded from the police bonus because they fell under the home affairs ministry and not the office of the president, which negotiated the police deal.

- AFP