Members of Parliament are pushing for new reforms in the prison service, in a move that has been triggered by worrying reports of rampant scams stemming from correctional facilities.
During a session with officials from the Kenya Prisons Service on Wednesday, April 23, lawmakers cornered the officials over a spate of issues, including weak accountability structures, poor prison conditions, and ongoing fraud within these facilities.
Tiaty Member of Parliament William Kamket raised one of the most notable concerns, warning that scams orchestrated from inside prison were threatening to become a public menace.
“Scamming is rampant, and it's eroding public trust. What concrete steps are being taken to tackle this?” he posed.
According to lawmakers, consistent scams among prisoners all but defeated the purpose of inhibiting them at the facilities, which are primarily meant to serve as rehabilitation centres for felons before possibly getting released back to society.
The Commissioner General of the Kenya Prisons Service, Mr Patrick Aranduh, was at pains to explain a spate of issues brought forth by the lawmakers, and despite acknowledging the scamming problem, he failed to offer a convincing strategy to curb the menace.
This prompted MPs to call for the implementation of technology-driven monitoring systems and tighter internal controls.
Prison scams are among the most common forms of fraud in Kenya, often involving inmates texting or calling unsuspecting civilians to solicit money.
These scams have evolved, with cases reported of prisoners accessing civilians' bank details from within their cells.
Another issue raised was the management of income generated through prison labour. Embakasi Central lawmaker Mejja Donk Benjami called for a forensic audit of the Appropriations-in-Aid (AiA) account to curb mismanagement.
Eric Karemba, the Chair of the Constitutional Implementation Oversight Committee, went further by questioning the legality of inmate labour under current frameworks, asking whether the prison system had become an avenue for exploitation.
Further concerns were raised about poor living conditions within prisons—a situation affecting both officers and inmates. Maragua Member of Parliament Mary Wamaua proposed that prison officers receive allowances similar to those given to teachers.
On the issue of prison officers enduring substandard uniforms, Aranduh revealed that budgetary constraints posed a major challenge.
“We’ve distributed new uniforms nationwide, but the current budget can’t provide for every inmate consistently. As for hardship allowances, they’re only provided where public service guidelines allow,” he stated.
The session concluded with the committee committing to push for sweeping reforms in prison infrastructure, oversight, and rehabilitation efforts.
