President Uhuru Kenyatta's government is seeking approval for a proposal to repatriate Tanzanian convicts in an exchange with the transfer of Kenyan prisoners in the country's cells.
Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Monica Juma told a parliamentary committee that the two countries are planning to swap their citizens serving jail terms for distinct charges.
Appearing before the National Assembly Committee on Defense and Foreign Relations on Tuesday, the CS confirmed that the two government were in talks to ratify the bilateral agreement to take convicts back to their states.
"The draft agreement was proposed by the government of Kenya and conveyed to its Tanzanian counterpart for consideration. Implementation of the agreement will ensure that Kenyans serving jail sentence in Tanzania would be brought to Kenya to serve half of their sentence," the CS told the committee.
As at March this year, Kenya had at least 2000 foreigners serving jail terms across the country. During her submission to Parliament, it emerged that there were about 1300 Kenyans being held in 21 countries globally.
This number had reduced to 273 as at the time the CS appeared before the committee.
Tanzania alone has 79 Kenyans in their cells, the highest among the countries holding Kenyan convicts.
On Tuesday, Kenyan businessman Bosco Gichana, who had been serving a five-year jail term in Tanzania, returned home to join his family.
A fine of Ksh15 Million was paid to the Tanzanian authorities after he was sentenced to serve five years imprisonment but had already spent time in jail.
Gichana, who arrived in Nairobi on Tuesday, is expected to join his family at his home in Kisii County.
