Several top Kenyan prison officers have been arrested over a strike in which warders threatened to free prisoners.
The striking junior officers had said they would start releasing prisoners on Monday, including the leader of the outlawed Mungiki sect Maina Njenga.
The government calls the strike a mutiny but has promised to address the warders' complaints.
They are demanding an extra risk allowance of $80 a month, recently given to other security officers.
The warders, some of whom are paid $100 a month, also want a one-off payment of $160 for helping to quell the post-election violence.
Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka, who is also home affairs minister, visited a prison on Sunday to try to calm the situation.
"I would like to appeal to warders to continue with the usual duties with the full confidence that their minister, who is concerned with their affairs, has heard and responded to your pleas and the process of resolving your grievances has started," he said.
One prison officer told the BBC it was unfair that they had not been given the extra money, unlike other security services.
"The Kenyan police have been awarded the risk allowance of five-thousand [shillings, $80]. And now we're being put aside. And we're uniformed staff. Where do we fall?"
(BBC)
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