The government is making steady progress in reforming Kenya’s prisons, with Deputy President Kithure Kindiki affirming that correctional facilities are being transformed into institutions that not only hold offenders but also equip them with skills to rebuild their lives after serving their sentences.
Speaking through Chief of Staff in the Office of the Deputy President, Dr. Christopher Wanjau, during the handover of mattresses and other essential items to Nairobi West Prison on Tuesday, Kindiki said the reforms are progressing well and remain central to the government’s justice agenda.
“The journey of reforming our prisons and other correctional facilities is on course to enable them to comprehensively and meaningfully rehabilitate citizens who in one way or the other have been in conflict with the law and serving time in the institutions,” Kindiki said.
He noted that the government has channeled significant financial, human and material resources toward supporting coordinated and sustainable rehabilitation programmes across correctional institutions countrywide.
“The government has invested a substantial amount of resources; financial, human and material, to facilitate coordinated, sustainable and comprehensive rehabilitation of all inmates in the correctional facilities,” he said, adding that the focus is on equipping inmates with relevant knowledge and expertise to support their successful return to society.
The Deputy President further appealed to members of the public to embrace former inmates and support their reintegration, stressing that rehabilitation only succeeds when communities are willing to accept and uplift ex-offenders.
“This is possible when we give them opportunities to earn an honest living from the skills, training and mentorship received through the Prisons Reforms Programme,” Kindiki said.
Correctional Services Principal Secretary Salome Beacco welcomed the donation, saying it reflects the government’s commitment to improving conditions for persons in custody.
“This thoughtful gesture reflects the Government’s unwavering commitment to improving the welfare of persons in custody and strengthening the correctional system as an integral component of the administration of justice,” Beacco said.
She explained that the State Department for Correctional Services has adopted a whole-of-government approach to ensure prisons evolve into spaces that prioritise rehabilitation and reformation alongside their custodial role.
“Decent living conditions are fundamental to creating an environment where correctional programmes can thrive and where offenders are empowered to reform, acquire skills, and successfully reintegrate into society upon release,” she added.
The handover ceremony was attended by Commissioner General of Prisons Patrick Aranduh, Deputy Commissioner General Jane Kirii and other senior officers from the Kenya Prisons Service, underscoring the government’s continued focus on building safer, more rehabilitative correctional institutions across the country.
