Govt Seeks Private Sector Support for Prison Reforms

NAIROBI, Kenya Sep 15 – The Government has called on corporate organisations, foundations and other non-state actors to support infrastructure reforms and rehabilitation programmes in the country’s prisons.

The appeal was made during the groundbreaking ceremony of a KSh9 million mother and child accommodation unit at Embu Women’s Prison, funded by friends of Freedom Within Kenya and the Triad Foundation.

The facility is intended to improve living conditions for children residing in prison alongside their incarcerated mothers while supporting the rehabilitation and vocational training of the women.

Correctional Services Principal Secretary Dr Salome Beacco said the department was keen to strengthen collaborations that improve the welfare of prisoners and expand vocational training facilities.

She said partnerships with non-state actors would complement government-funded rehabilitation programmes and provide prisoners with employable skills they could use to earn a decent living after completing their sentences.

“We appreciate Freedom Within Kenya and its partners for supporting projects that improve the welfare of incarcerated mothers and their children. Not only have you restored hope, health, safety, hygiene and dignity to children but have provided their mothers with a more conducive environment to undertake rehabilitation and vocational training,” Beacco said.

The PS welcomed further support from corporate organisations and other partners seeking to contribute to prison infrastructure development and rehabilitation initiatives.

Dr Mary Waceke Thongoh-Muia, Partnership Lead at Freedom Within Kenya, said collaboration between government, corporates, foundations, professional organisations, communities and individual well-wishers was essential in improving rehabilitation efforts.

She said the partnerships were particularly important in addressing the needs of children living in prison with their incarcerated mothers.

“A prison environment was never designed with an infant or young child in mind. Our responsibility is therefore to ensure that where children must live alongside their mothers, their basic needs for safety, hygiene, nutrition, play, learning and nurturing are not overlooked,” Thongoh-Muia said.

She said the organisation’s work seeks to ensure that children living in correctional facilities receive care and support despite the challenges associated with their mothers’ incarceration.

During the ceremony, PS Beacco also commissioned a newly completed ablution block at Embu Women’s Prison.

The facility was constructed by Freedom Within Kenya at a cost of KSh4 million, with seed funding from the Napier Fellowship USA, awarded to Shakinar Mutulili, a co-founder of the organisation.

Triad Architects donated the architectural drawings and technical supervision for both the ablution block and the mother and child accommodation unit.

The projects are expected to improve hygiene, safety and the general welfare of women prisoners and their children.

Freedom Within Kenya’s work dates back to 2018, when Shakinar Mutulili and her sister, Naikena, began mobilising their peers to support children living alongside incarcerated mothers.

The initiative started with food and diaper drives before expanding into projects aimed at improving the living conditions of children and supporting the rehabilitation of their mothers.

The organisation has since worked with partners to address the welfare needs of children in correctional facilities.

The launch of the mother and child accommodation unit and commissioning of the ablution block mark the latest milestones in its efforts to promote dignity, safety and rehabilitation within Kenya’s prisons.