Correctional Services PS Salome Beacco signs the visitors'
book at the Jela Baridi library / BRIAN OTIENO
Mustansir Zakiuddin, the community deputy head priest and
representative of His Holiness Dr Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, the spiritual
leader of the Dawoodi Bohra community, signs the visitors book at the Jela
Baridi library / BRIAN OTIENO
Correctional Services PS Salome Beacco and Mombasa
Remand Prison officer-in-charge John Kanyamuok outside the library on Monday /
BRIAN OTIENOInmates at the Mombasa Remand Prison, famously known as Jela Baridi, are set to benefit following the opening of a library at the facility.
The library has been stocked with 800 books for the 550 inmates, courtesy of the Dawoodi Bohra Community in Mombasa under Project Rise, the community’s global social welfare initiative.
Volunteers repaired the structure, fixed roofing and ceilings, installed news doors, windows and shelves and upgraded the walling and flooring.
They also added desks and chairs.
Correctional Services PS Salome Beacco said the facility is a symbol of what is possible when people believe in second chances.
“It is a place where knowledge inspires confidences, where learning fuels transformation and where our clients can rediscover their potential,” Beacco said.
She said the mission is to create pathways of hope and opportunity.
“The Dawoodi Bohras have long exemplified a commitment to philanthropy, education, health and community empowerment. Their spirit and partnership in this initiative reflects their enduring dedication to uplifting society and nurturing progress,” Beacco said.The partnership between the state department and the community, she said, advances the national development goals particularly in education and rehabilitation.
She noted education is a cornerstone of rehabilitation which equips individuals and equalises the society. “It gives them tools to reshape their lives, rebuild their futures and re-enter society as empowered and productive citizens,” PS Beacco said.
Mustansir Zakiuddin, the community deputy head priest and representative of His Holiness Dr Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, the spiritual leader of the Dawoodi Bohra community, led the delegation to the Mombasa Remand Prison.
The community’s Mombasa outreach coordinator Hamza Taher Shura said they believe in dignity, education and hope for every individual.
“Our community has restored this library and provided over 800 books, board games, 10 desks and today we will be handing over even 300 pairs of shoes for the inmates,” Shura said.
He asked the inmates to make use of the library to learn and get renewed hope. “Remember, today’s situation is not the end. Every book you open is a chance to start all over again. Hope is still there and tomorrow can be better than today,” Shura said.
“As we hand over this facility, we pray it brings learning and positive change to all those who will use it,” he said.
The Dawoodi vice chair Quresh Zakir said the Jela Baridi inmates are privileged because there are many partners who have them in mind. “The one thing I would like to request is that when you leave here, leave as a good person,” he told the inmates.
Murtaza Rangwalla, a volunteer from the community who has been instrumental in the restoration of the library, said their first visit at the facility left a strong impression.
“Inmates asked for a place to read and reflect. We decided to support them. Seeing this library ready for use fills us with pride. It is a small step that brings real hope,” Rangwalla said.
Kenya Prisons Services director of probation and aftercare services Christine Obondi said, “Research shows that most inmates, our clients, come here because there is something about learning that is missing. Education has been identified globally as a key intervention that would stop us from committing offences and reoffending.”
She said the library is a key tool for ensuring the inmates do not go back to the facility once they are set free.
She said the prison fraternity cannot do without partners like the Dawoodi Bohra Community.
“The criminal justice system starts with the community and ends with the community. So let us all take this responsibility to make a difference one offender at a time, one family at a time, one community at a time,” Obondi said.
Mombasa Remand Prison officer-in-charge John Kanyamuok said his mission is to ensure those who go through his facility leave as better citizens.
Coast regional prisons commander Nicholas Mwandau said prisons in the country have come a long way.
Mwandau said Mombasa Remand Prison, like many others in the country, has undergone tremendous transformation courtesy of the leadership of the prison and the support from both the government and the private sector.
“This institution is in the middle of the town. Whatever happens here is not for the prison community alone. This institution is for the larger community of Mvita,” Mwandau, who is a deputy commissioner of prisons in rank, said.
The facility has a mosque, water project, dispensary, and now a library that serves both the prison and the larger neighbouring community of Mvita.
INSTANT ANALYSIS
The newly refurbished library at the Mombasa remand prison has been equipped with motivational books, fictional novels, Bibles, Qurans, language books and other learning materials. Correctional Services PS Salome Beacco said they will keep improving the library to have computers for e-learning in future.
