An inmate on Friday escaped from Kericho Medium Prison under unclear circumstances.
The prisoner, who was later identified as Geoffrey Kiprotich, is yet to be traced after he found his way out of the facility.
Preliminary reports indicate the escapee had been asked to pluck tea alongside his colleagues before he found his way out of the prison at around midday while at the outskirts of Kericho town.
The man had been sentenced to a five-year jail term for malicious damage to property.
Senior Superintendent of Prisons (SSP) Shadrach Kinoti, who was in charge of the facility at the time the incident occurred, refused to confirm or deny whether the prisoner had left the place.
He instead asked Standard journalists to get details from the source of the information.
"Tell whoever gave you my number to give you the full details. I am in another function right now," he said and hang up.
Sources privacy to the local daily also indicate that the prisoner hails from Nandi County. It is also alleged that the escapee had been moved to Kericho from Kapsabet prison.
It, however, remains unclear why the prison warders opted to move him to the new facility before he made the daring escape.