In the name of love: Women who risk prison for detained men

Jukwaa

📋 Breaking It Down

Sometimes it is food, sometimes it is drugs. And at times, it is a mobile phone. In the most serious cases, the item being smuggled may potentially help an inmate break out. Either way, it often makes the situation worse for the detainee and their loved one.

In 2022, Caroline Imenza arrived at Gilgil Police Station around 6am carrying a loaf of bread and a flask of hot tea for her husband, Stephen Nyabuto, who was in custody. When the loaf was opened, officers found five rolls of bhang, five cigarettes and a matchbox hidden inside it.

Read: TikTok gang: Girlfriend arrested with jailbreak tools hidden in food

📌 What You Need to Know

A subsequent search of Imenza allegedly uncovered another 80 rolls of bhang concealed in her undergarments. Police also alleged that she attempted to offer Sh2,000 to secure her release, a crime that was added to her charge sheet.

Four years later, Bernice Achieng’ Otieno is in Ms Imenza’s shoes, only that she was wearing them at Buruburu Police Station. Ms Otieno was arrested on Sunday after allegedly trying to sneak five rolls of bhang and a matchbox to her boyfriend, who is detained at the station. A search of her jacket yielded another seven rolls.

Bernice Achieng’ Otieno who was arrested after allegedly trying to sneak five rolls of bhang and a matchbox to her boyfriend who is detained at Buruburu Police Station.

The incidents offer a glimpse into the curious intersection of love, loyalty and crime behind Kenya’s police cell walls, where an innocent-looking meal can conceal something capable of changing the circumstances of the person receiving it.

A plate of rice and beef was headed to three suspects held at Ruai Police Station last week. But beneath the meal was something that had nothing to do with feeding hungry detainees.

Read: Woman arrested for smuggling bhang in bread at Buruburu Station

📰 Source: Nation Africa

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