Over 23,000 inmates freed as 5,000 cases under review in prisons decongestion plan

Over 23, 000 inmates have been freed from correctional facilities across the country in an effort by the government to decongest prisons.

State Department for Correctional Services Principal Secretary (PS) Salome Muhia said an additional 5, 000 cases were under review.

This, she said, was in line with the department’s target to release 35,000 petty offenders by the end of this year as the government moves to improve prison facilities across the country.

The PS said her office was working closely with the judiciary and other stakeholders in the criminal justice system to exploit other avenues to deal with offenders other than the prison system.

“We want to exploit the community service orders, probation and other non-custodial options to decongest prison facilities countrywide,” she said.

To make the program a success, Muhia called for support from development partners to ensure that prisoners live a dignified life as enshrined in the constitution.

Speaking at Kisumu Maximum Prisons during an official visit, the PS added that the government would also tap on the available 135 probation and Aftercare stations across the nation to push the judiciary to put offenders with petty offences under community service.

In line with the improvement of prison facilities, the PS disclosed that the government was on course to fit a new sewage system at Kisumu Maximum Prison before the end of the year.

This, she said, was set to address pollution concerns which have seen the National Environment Management Authority list the facility as one of the leading pollutants in Kisumu.

Similar ventures, she said, were being undertaken in Lodwar and Naivasha prisons with a target to roll out similar projects in all the other stations in the country.

To further contribute to combating the adverse effects of climate change and increasing forest cover, the Correctional Department intends to utilize 20% of its land to plant a billion trees in line with President William Ruto’s directive to plant 15 billion tree seedlings by 2032.

“Our target in the Correctional services sector comprising of the administration, Kenya Prison Service, Probation and Aftercare service is to plant at least 100 million trees in 2023 and progressively in the next 10 years plant another 900 million trees so that 20% of all our land under the correctional services is under tree coverage,” she said.

Muhia hailed the skills development and training programs offered to inmates at various prison institutions aimed at empowering them for smooth reintegration into society.

She added that the state is partnering with other stakeholders to refurbish the training curriculum and modernize the workshop equipment in all prisons to boost the standards of training and equip the prisoners with up-to-date skills that are needed in the market.

The department in collaboration with other partners donated blankets, detergents, sanitary towels, and tissue papers to the inmates at the Kodiaga Maximum Prison and distributed children’s clothes to babies accompanying their mothers serving sentences at the Kisumu Women’s Prison.

Also in attendance during the tour were Commissioner General of Prisons (Rtd) John Warioba, Secretary of Probation and After Care Services Mary Mbau, and Nyanza Region Prison Commander Patrick Nyaachi among other senior department officials.