More than 800 volunteers, inmates and prison staff were treated to a sumptuous meal at the Shimo la Tewa Medium Prison on Friday / BRIAN OTIENO
The 10,000-litre water tank and borehole donated by the Dawoodi Bohra Community at the Shimo la Tewa Medium Prison on Friday / BRIAN OTIENO
Dawoodi Bohra Community’s Shabbirali Fakhruddin [L] at the Shimo la Tewa Medium Prison on Friday / BRIAN OTIENO
Inmates in Kenyan prisons are human beings and deserve dignified
living conditions, the Dawoodi Bohra Community has said.
This can be done if the society changes its perception about prisons
and starts viewing them not as places of punishment but rather as places of
rehabilitation.
“That is why prisons in Kenya are called 'correctional facilities'," Hamza Shura, the Dawoodi Bohra Community outreach coordinator, said.
Shura said sanitation in correctional facilities in the country is
just as important as sanitation in people’s houses.
“That is why through the community’s philanthropic arm, Project
Rise, we have committed to supporting environmental conservation in Kenya’s
correctional facilities,” he said.
He spoke at the Shimo la Tewa Medium Prison on Friday after
planting 2,100 blue gum and casuarina trees, donating a borehole, a pump, and a
10,000-litre tank, and feeding the over 800 inmates and wardens at the
facility.
The joint initiative brought together inmates, prison authorities,
and community volunteers.
The trees and borehole will increase the
facility’s green cover and address its pressing water needs.
Prison officials noted that the new infrastructure will provide
reliable access to clean water.
“This will solve long-standing hygiene issues and bring lasting
health and operational benefits to both inmates and staff,” an official, who
requested anonymity as he is not authorised to speak to the media, said.
Speaking during the launch event, Shabbirali Fakhruddin, a
volunteer from the Mombasa chapter of Project Rise, emphasised the community's
commitment to rehabilitation and environmental sustainability.
“Our engagement with correctional institutions is guided by a
simple belief that every individual deserves opportunities for growth, dignity,
and hope,” he said.
“Through initiatives such as these, we seek to create a lasting
impact by supporting the environment, improving access to essential resources,
and strengthening community partnerships,” Fakhruddin said.
The initiative builds on the Dawoodi Bohras' ongoing support for
Mombasa's correctional system.
Recently, Project Rise funded and built a modern library at the
Mombasa Remand Prison.
These efforts reflect a broader approach to inmate rehabilitation that focuses on education, climate action, and social support, Fakhruddin said.
INSTANT ANALYSIS:
Project Rise is an umbrella initiative by the worldwide Dawoodi Bohra community which sets out to synergise the various philanthropic contributions the community does. It is meant to elevate the less fortunate in society.
