MY PRISON STORY: Katikkiro Folds-up Inmate ‘Kandoya style’, Loses Prestigious Position for Being Overhanded
By Markson Omagor
(Author)
A remand in-mate had broken one of the rules in ward C5 and the Ward leader in his wisdom passed a sentence of fetching water to fill one hundred twenty litre tank (ward) every day. The distance between the ward and the next water source being about forty meters away.
The punished in-mate attempted to do this ‘file’ for a period of one week, got tired and protested. He protested in a manner of not collecting water anymore. The ward leader, one who doesn’t stay much in his ward being busy barbering, came back at about 6:00pm only to find the ward’s water tank empty. Infuriated, he called for a ‘Mungotano; a general assembly of sorts.
As expected, the ward elders who were the few convicts amongst a forest of remands, found the accused guilty as alleged. The ward leader then commanded that the accused be given 12 canes on the buttocks. The latter thought this preposterous and wildly protested knocking down some of the punishers. This did it.
Tempers flared as both the ward leader and the accused were overrun by animal emotions, the accused being now violently hostile and the leader feeling his authority diminished.
An order was given to ‘Kandoya tie’ the man with a sisal rope which was providently available. A group of Kanyamas then descended on the lone man, violently wrestled him down then tied first his wrists, then using the same rope looped between his legs and tied them together too. This rope was then pulled down wards towards the bound feet until the back curved into a near ball, the chin forcefully rested on his raised knees and the ability of the head to rotate seriously hampered.
In between our applause and music, we did hear what seemed to be an uproar and we thought ‘…..ah yes, those members must be having a blast too……’ apparently after successfully ‘balling’ their victim, the victorious ward leader then dragged the whimpering helpless man and pushed him under his bed- a metallic raised bed meant for hospitals.
Under this bed are many crisscrossing metal bars but it’s in between these bars that the man was pushed under. This scuffle did not go unnoticed. Patrolling Prison Warders got interested and went in to investigate at a time when the whimpers were coming from under the only bed in the room.
They called out to the ward leader through the peephole and he replied. He told them the accused had run violent and was promising to cause harm to all ward members. That, for that reason, they had bound him to avoid bloodshed. They then asked him to show the accused to them. He bent under his bed and pulled out his man and dragged him towards the door, a position through which the Afandes could see clearly. They were aghast and commanded the ward leader to at least relax the rope so that even with both feet and arms tied, the man would remain erect. He told them rather arrogantly that, he could not unfasten the man. They then cajoled, then pleaded, but the ward leader simply kept mum and repeated his earlier stand when he opted to speak.
Unable to convince the ‘bigger than life’ ward leader, the warders went in search of chief Boma. He came and asked through the peephole to be shown the culprit. The ward leader again pulled the man from under his bed. Chief ordered him to untie the fellow or at worst have only his wrists tied. The man refused assuring the Chief Boma that the culprit being desirous to harm others must not be untied. At this point, the warders opted for the only option left- to call the OC. When the latter arrived with the key to the ward and opened, the culprit was still under the ward leader’s bed, box tied.
The OC, having entered the ward with his deputies, demanded of the chief Boma to show him the person who had been tied. He was standing in the middle of the room, other in-mates were all hunched on their ‘beds’ the ward leader now standing beside his bed also kept quiet. Chief Boma replied to the effect that he had seen the man himself. Then OC inquired from the man himself. In response, he pulled the culprit from under the bed and dragged him towards the center of the room where the OC stood.
Needless to say, the OC got visibly angry. Then he asked the culprit after he was untied how he was feeling. The man answered that he was feeling very bad and weak. OC then asked him if he could carry anything and he said he did not have any energy left in him. Then he was asked if he could when given chance also tie the ward leader the way he was tied. The man even got up from where he was seated and pleaded for chance to do the act. He was however, not given such an opportunity. OC moved the tied man into another ward and promised to deal with the situation the following day.
The next day as promised, whereas the majority of us were in the labour parade, all members of ward C5 were in the convict room. They all received three canes on their buttocks as warm up before their statements could be taken.
We heard later that the ward leader was demoted and transferred to committal Block as a punishment. Committal Block is otherwise known as Block A – a block nearest to the offices where there is no running water, movement out of the block is restricted, cooking is not allowed and there is no participation in labour parade and prayers. This is a ward where capital offenders are remanded. All reports of a prison including sodomy are thereby found.
