Inmates from the Eldoret Main Prison have landed new opportunities after the correctional facility officially launched the full-scale cabro block production unit, creating jobs within the prison walls.
The programme, backed by the Kenya Prisons Service and local quarry operators, is part of a broader push to integrate industrial training into correctional systems as KPS aims to equip offenders with practical skills aimed at rehabilitation.
Already, dozens of inmates have been enrolled in the programme, working daily to manufacture paving blocks that are being used to improve prison infrastructure.
According to prison officials, the move is designed to reduce idleness, foster discipline, and prepare inmates for productive reintegration into society.
“The project is part of a broader effort to empower inmates with hands-on skills in construction and paving technologies, supporting their reintegration journey through meaningful, marketable work,” said KPS in their official statement.
Before joining the production line, the prisoners go through a process that includes basic training in construction methods, safety procedures, and how to operate machinery. KPS claims that skill development may eventually result in post-incarceration job opportunities.
In order to lessen the prison's dependency on outside resources, some of the concrete blocks are already being installed on the access roads and walkways inside the prison complex.
“This initiative aims to not only enhance the station’s infrastructure but also transform the surrounding environment,” KPS said while hailing the project.
Such skill-building and industrial projects in correctional facilities are not new in Kenya. These ways are usually used as part of the broader and ongoing shifts from punitive incarceration to rehabilitative justice.
Over the years, Kenya has been transforming prisons into centers of productivity and reform with programmes in agriculture, carpentry, tailoring, furniture-making, and now, construction technology like cabro production.
These initiatives fall under the KPS's correctional industries and vocational training programs, which aim to equip inmates with marketable skills while reducing idleness and promoting discipline.
According to KPS, they hope to expand the cabro project to other facilities depending on the funding and training capacity, with Eldoret's success setting the pace and benchmark.
MPs Pass Finance Bill 2025 News Just In
