Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki on Monday said the government is working towards upgrading correctional services through a raft of reforms such as decongesting prisons.
Speaking at Mwea Prison in Kirinyaga County, Prof Kindiki said a review of what he called archaic laws on correctional facilities ranks top in the reforms package, as well as the mechanisation of prison farms.
“Every inmate has to have their own bed and mattress. The Government will partner with the private sector to make sure the ‘One Prisoner, One Bed, One Mattress’ program is successful,” he said.
The Interior CS said the government will provide equipment worth Ksh.1 billion in the coming months to ensure Kenyan prisons match with the modern workshops in terms of standards and help them produce quality products.
“Prisons should not be hell. It should be a place of reforms and rehabilitation. Most of the inmates are young people and we look forward to you leaving prisons, reformed appropriately, so that you participate in nation-building,” Kindiki added.
He noted that they will decongest prisons by half, saying “We will engage the Judiciary and other stakeholders in the justice sector to facilitate this.”
“In a few months, we will have a new and modern Correctional Services policy and in the next 3 months review laws on prisons, borstal institutions and probation services to match with the 21st Century standards,” Kindiki added.
CS Kithure Kindiki says gov’t working to decongest prisons through 'one prisoner, one bed, one mattress' pic.twitter.com/bTnMkM9QfQ
— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) May 8, 2023
On the welfare of inmates, the CS said two pairs of uniforms will be the standard, while prison staff will also see new uniforms provided.
“The Government takes seriously, reforms in Prisons and other correctional facilities. The task force on Police and Prisons reforms will submit its report later this month, and its recommendations will help us execute these reforms,” added Kindiki.
Data from last year showed that prisons across the country held a population of 53, 438 prisoners, 30,689 of whom are convicted 30,689 are convicts while 22,799 are inmates.
Some 6,073 petty offenders are at the same time held in the facilities while 955 others have less than three years remaining to serve.
Other measures the government has previously applied to tackle congestion include releasing petty offenders and the expansion of probation and after-service programs targeting the reintegration of the offenders.
Kindiki’s predecessor, Fred Matiang’I last year announced the release of nearly 5,000 petty offenders in a decongestion program involving the Judiciary and the Prisons services.
