An expose by journalist Lulu Hassan on Citizen television has sparked outrage among Kenyans, who have petitioned the Communications Authority to jam signals near Kamiti Maximum Security Prison.
The exposé focused on convicts who continue to defraud Kenyans even while incarcerated. Undated video footage showed prisoners in Cell A collaborating with warders who provide them with phones and protection in order to carry out scams in which Kenyans lose huge sums of money every day.
An insider revealed how the scammers celebrated after duping an unsuspecting Kenyan out of KES 4 million for the purchase of a non-existent car.
Many Kenyans are vulnerable to fraud as a result of the high cost of living.
The informant also revealed how night-duty warders were bribed with as little as KES 2,000 to take phones and drugs home for concealment, only to return safe and ready for another round of operations the next day.
Kenyans, who are already struggling with high living costs and fuel shortages, would not want to hear the long story about warders’ low pay as an excuse this time. The evidence is sufficient to set the wheels in motion. Individual warders cannot, without the knowledge of their superiors, conduct such intricate operations within a maximum security facility.
Jamming or restricting GSM signals in the Kamiti area could put an end to the criminal operations once and for all.
Another expose by the same TV station last year revealed how criminals collude with police officers to hire firearms, prompting DCI Director George Kinoti to defend his officers.
Many gullible Kenyans have fallen victim to Kamiti’s fraud operations, and this expose serves as a timely reminder that the authorities must now act to stop the menace.
Here are some angry Kenyans’ reactions:
