There was a blackout at the Jogoo Police Station on Tuesday night when self confessed serial killer Masten Wanjala escaped from police custody, a Nairobi court was told yesterday.

Police officers Phillip Mbithi, Boniface Kamakia Mutuma and Precious Mwinzi who are accused of aiding the suspect to escape told Milimani Senior Resident Magistrate Jane Kamau that there was no power at the station on the night he escaped.

“On the day the suspect escaped from custody, there was no light… so the police officers on duty exchanged shifts at 7 pm in total darkness using the spotlight on their phones to count suspects,” the officers said through lawyer Danstan Omari.

Preliminary investigations showed that the suspect could have been released as an ordinary petty offender with suspects earlier arrested for breaching Ministry of Health Covid-19 regulations.

The escape appeared well-planned as the suspect did not force his way out of the police station.

“The respondents are being charged for neglect instead of the state being charged for neglect of basic tools,” the suspects argued, through their lawyer, Omari.

The Magistrate ordered the officers to be held at capital Hill police station until 9:30 am today when she will deliver her ruling on whether to allow the state request to continue holding them for 14 days to complete investigations.