The spouse to the Deputy President Pastor Dorcas Rigathi has launched a rehabilitation centre in Laikipia aimed at detaining minors who commit petty offences.
Speaking in Laikipia on Thursday during a groundbreaking ceremony for the Rehabilitation and Wellness Center in Rimuruti ward, Pastor Dorcas advocated against minors serving terms in conventional prisons for such minor offenses.
"We want our children who are caught in schools and in other places with petty crimes and they are in prison, we want to have rehabilitation centre here where they will join other children for rehabilitation," she said.
She asserted that child offenders should be placed in specialised detention centres for rehabilitation.
"This rehabilitation centre that is going to be here is going to take thousands of young people who have been screened and found that indeed they need rehabilitation."
Pastor Dorcas emphasised that integrating a detention centre into Kenya's penal system would necessitate a cooperative effort between the judiciary, county and national governments.
"We are going to do something that has not been done before and that is going to be done by national government, the county government and together with the Judiciary," she emphasised.
The collaborative approach aims to enhance the process of rehabilitation.
Pastor Dorcas urged local residents to align themselves with the project, highlighting its potential to catalyse physical, social and economic revitalisation in the remote and arid expanse of Laikipia County.
The establishment of the rehabilitation centre reflects a progressive step in addressing the needs of young individuals who commit minor offenses.
During her visit to Italy, Pastor Dorcas shared her passion for the boychild programme which seeks to rehabilitate boys and men from drugs and substance abuse.
"The war against drug and drug addiction must be fought by everybody. Because, if teachers and clergy are able to get into that space, they are the ones who are always with the people," she said.
The deputy president's spouse shared her vision for revalidating the boys and men of Kenya and getting them off the streets during her visit to the Villa Maraini Foundation.
It underscored a shift towards a more holistic and rehabilitative approach, steering away from the traditional punitive measures.
