Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki while visiting the Naivasha GK prison on Wednesday announced that plans were underway to establish a prisoner’s enterprise fund which would come in handy in supporting inmates as they left prisons.
“This fund will assist inmates with a start-up kit and a small grant which will help them reintegrate with the community once they are released,” Kindiki said.
At the same time, the CS stated that through the ‘Power of Mercy’ policy, the government intends to decongest prisons and other correctional facilities by 50 per cent.
This will be done by facilitating virtual court sessions and remodelling the ICT infrastructure in prisons countrywide to enable expeditious conclusion of pending matters.
"I will also speak to the Attorney General so that the plan of Power of Mercy helps to decongest our prisons," Kindiki said.
"I have also committed that we are going to decongest our prisons by 50 per cent and all categories of our inmates will be covered by that programme of mercy."
Going further, the former Tharaka Nithi senator highlighted that prisons should have computers to assist the inmates appear for the virtual court session.
"I want you to submit a proposal for how many computers or laptops you require and I will give you enough so that as you appear in your court sessions and paralegals you can be supported," Kindiki said.
Addressing the inmates, the Interior boss lauded ongoing rehabilitation in prisons.
Kindiki noted with concern the high number of elderly prisoners adding that the Power of Mercy Commission would come in handy in addressing their plight.
“We can use the power of mercy to address congestion in prisons mainly targeting the elderly and those inmates who have served long sentences,” he said.
During the visit, the CS launched the Naivasha GK prison maize milling plant which has the capacity of milling 100 bags of maize every day.
“We have plans to launch similar milling plants across the country as part of empowering prisons and making sure that inmates can process food for themselves,” he said.
Last year, the CS said the government was working towards upgrading correctional services through a raft of reforms such as decongesting prisons.
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 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.
Data from 2022 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 in 2021 announced the release of nearly 5,000 petty offenders in a decongestion program involving the Judiciary and the Prisons services.
