The Kenyan government has prioritized the revitalization of prison industries and farms. This initiative aims to equip offenders with valuable vocational and agricultural skills, facilitating their smoother reintegration into society post-incarceration.
Dr. Salome Beacco, Principal Secretary of Correctional Services, highlighted the importance of these reforms during a meeting at the Prison Staff Training College in Ruiru. Addressing farm managers and industry heads from the Kenya Prisons Service, Dr. Beacco underscored that the rejuvenation of prison enterprises is central to the ongoing reforms in correctional facilities.
“The fact that 8,500 inmates were trained in various vocational trades where 25 borstal boys and 5 borstal girls were trained and tested with a further 56 borstal boys waiting for trade tests exam in December 2024 series is testament, that our correctional facilities are more than just places of confinement, but also avenues for rehabilitation and personal development,” she remarked.
The reforms aim to modernize prison industries, enhancing their capacity and competitiveness, thus ensuring self-sustenance amid budget constraints. Dr. Beacco urged those in charge to elevate standards and production levels to sustain prison operations effectively. “How can we be better organized to produce more and do things better?” she posed to the managers.
In a stride towards environmental sustainability and climate change mitigation, Dr. Beacco set an ambitious target for prison farms to plant 100 million trees annually, expand orchards, and increase tree seedling production. Under the National Landscape and Ecosystem restoration plan, aiming to grow 15 billion trees by 2032, Kenya Prisons Service nurseries currently house 2,747,095 seedlings, with 1,232,660 mature for planting. Additionally, 670,072 seedlings have been planted on prison land in the last three months.
The prison enterprise has initiated several agricultural programs, including potato production in Nyandarua, maize milling at Naivasha prison, rice milling in Mwea, and the establishment of orchards in Kamiti, Ngeria, Nakuru Main prison, Makueni, and Maranjau prisons.
Aligning with the government’s digital transformation efforts, Dr. Beacco announced that the prison enterprise has streamlined revenue collection by amalgamating 210 pay bills into a single government pay bill (222222). All payments are now processed cashlessly through eCitizen, EFT, and corporate cheques.
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Dr. Beacco was accompanied by Commissioner General of Prisons Brig (Rtd) John K. Warioba, who supported the initiatives aimed at transforming Kenya’s correctional services.
This comprehensive approach is designed not only to ensure the effective rehabilitation of offenders but also to contribute significantly to the nation’s economic and environmental goals, reaffirming the role of correctional facilities in fostering personal development and societal integration.