The task force in charge of reviewing the welfare of prison and police officers in Machakos discovered that the majority of houses inside the Machakos prison are owned by civilian landlords, leaving many puzzled.
Officers who spoke to the media anonymously on Wednesday claimed that they were forced to pay rent despite the fact that the houses were on prison property.
Kenya Law Reforms Commission CEO Joash Dache, a task force member, confirmed that they are aware of the reports, but they must first conduct background checks on the title deeds issued for the land.
Cache added that before that, they will first make recommendations to solve the issue and have taken photos as evidence of their shocking discovery.
Another member of the taskforce, Hassan Sheikh Mohammed, said they also engaged with prisoners from both the male and female prisons, together with the prison officers.
A senior police officer, Abdiwilly Adan, who is in charge of the prison, revealed that the facility has been in a deplorable state, crippling delivery of services.
Among the issues he cited were a lack of uniforms, a lack of mattresses and blankets, a lack of vital security installations such as CCTV cameras, and a lack of funds for servicing and fueling prison vehicles, among others.
Janè Onyoo of the women’s facility stated that there is little accommodation for prison workers, no workshop, insufficient planning space, and no daycare school for the facility’s 20 students, among other things.
Former Chief Justice David Maraga will lead the taskforce to improve the terms and conditions of service in the Kenya police force.
