Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has revealed fresh details on the government's ongoing prison reforms, saying that the administration is pushing to transform correctional facilities into centres focused on rehabilitation, skills development and successful reintegration of inmates back into society.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

Speaking during the handover of critical items aimed at easing congestion at Nairobi West Prison on Tuesday, Kindiki said the government had intensified reforms targeting improved living conditions, rehabilitation programmes and infrastructure upgrades within prisons and other correctional facilities across the country.

In remarks delivered on his behalf by the Chief of Staff in the Office of the Deputy President, Dr. Christopher Wanjau, the DP said the reforms are aimed at making prisons more habitable while equipping inmates with practical skills and training to support their transition back into society after completing their sentences.

“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 another have been in conflict with the law,” the statement read in part.

📌 What You Need to Know

The reforms include improved accommodation facilities for inmates, investment in rehabilitation programmes and expansion of vocational training aimed at helping prisoners acquire employable skills before reintegration into society.

Additionally, the government is seeking to strengthen mentorship and reintegration programmes to reduce cases of reoffending while helping former inmates rebuild their lives through productive economic activities.

Kindiki further urged Kenyans to support efforts aimed at reintegrating former prisoners into communities, saying successful rehabilitation depends not only on reforms within prisons but also on how society receives ex-offenders after release.

“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,” he stated.

Correctional Services Principal Secretary Salome Beacco welcomed the government’s support, saying the reforms are expected to improve both inmate welfare and the effectiveness of rehabilitation programmes within correctional facilities.

Beacco noted that the State Department for Correctional Services had adopted what she described as a “whole-of-government approach” focused on transforming prisons from punishment-oriented institutions into centres that promote rehabilitation and personal reform.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke