The government is making every effort to improve the requisite infrastructure in all prisons across the county. Correctional Services Principal Secretary Dr. Salome Beacco has stated that this strategy will significantly enhance service delivery by correctional officers and improve the living conditions of inmates.
Speaking in Bungoma after touring the GK male and female prisons, Beacco noted that among the proposed improvements is an increase in the number of beds in prisons nationwide to uplift the human dignity of inmates.
The PS noted that the State Department is now ensuring that staff at headquarters make visits to grassroots offices to establish the real situations on the ground for effective planning of activities in the sector.
“As senior officers, we no longer remain behind desks; we are out in the field, listening and engaging directly with those on the ground,” she said.
Beacco commended officers at the Bungoma GK Prisons for planting trees in large numbers at the institution, saying this noble initiative has contributed to conserving the local environment in line with the Presidential directive to plant 15 billion trees in the country by 2032.
At the same time, she stated that the Department has implemented measures to ensure that inmates are registered with the Social Health Authority (SHA).
“At the Bungoma GK prisons, 50 percent of the inmates are already registered, and we are still processing the registration for the others. In the next six months, all of them will be listed,” the PS added
However, the PS noted that the government is facing challenges during registration, as some inmates do not possess national identification cards, an issue that is delaying the entire process. The Department is working closely with the Registration of Persons to ensure the success of this exercise.
Beacco also commended the management of the Bungoma GK Prisons for utilizing part of their idle land for agricultural activities to produce food for consumption at the facility.
Meanwhile, the PS has called on Kenyans to adopt a positive attitude towards those being released from prisons after serving their sentences for various crimes by offering them jobs and supporting their unconditional reintegration into society, without any form of discrimination.
The Bungoma County Commissioner, Thomas Sankei, accompanied the PS during her tour of the correctional facility.
