Authorities in Burundi are pursuing Kenyan businessman Joseph Mboya Nyamuthe after escaping from custody.
Mboya who runs several businesses in Burundi was arrested in April 2021 after he was accused of drug trafficking.
A Burundian news outlet, Ishami TV, reports that Mboya escaped from Rumonge Hospital where he was being treated on Friday night.
Police sources confirmed to the publication that Mboya was taken to Rumonge Hospital for treatment by the deputy head of the Murembwe Prison Hospital, Mrs. Adeline Ndayisenga after exhibiting cholera-like symptoms.
Two police officers had been assigned to guard him at the hospital. They are both now under arrest after the escape which is now believed to have been facilitated by FDD rebels fighting the Burundian government.
A top prison boss is alleged to have colluded with the rebels to facilitate Mboya’s escape.
Mboya comes from Rangwe constituency in Homa Bay County.
He is the son-in-law of the late Hezekiah Oyugi, a powerful figure in the late President Daniel Arap Moi administration.
Before moving to Burundi, he had expressed interest in running for the Rangwe Parliamentary seat in the 2022 General Election.
He launched a pharmaceuticals company in Burundi in 2019 that was unveiled by then President the late Jean Pierre Nkurunzinza.
Read Also: Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza Dies Of Covid-19 Related Complications
Mboya’s arrest followed claims that he and his associates were using the company to import drugs exceeding allowed quantities in the East African Country.
The chemical substances include pethidine. The country’s Health Minister is alleged to have been aware of the illegal business operations.
Authorities reportedly started pursuing Mboya after a Turkish national was arrested at Bujumbura Airport allegedly trafficking narcotics on March 20.
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