Kenyans Jailed in Tanzania Headed Home as Prisoner Exchange Deal Concludes

Prisoners Engaged in Work
Prisoners Engagaging in Work in prison in Kwale County in January 2019.
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Kenyans jailed in Tanzania will have a temporary reprieve after successful talks between Kenya and Tanzania to exchange prisoners.

Dan Kazungu, Kenya's High Commissioner to Tanzania has confirmed that the exchange deal will see Kenyan citizens jailed in Tanzania transferred to Kenyan jails to finish their sentences there.

In the exchange, Kenya will also release all Tanzanian inmates in Kenyan jails , in a move that is credited to the outstanding relationship between Kenya and Tanzania.

The exchange deal is seen to fulfill President Kenyatta's decree that no Kenyan should be jailed in a foreign country, and that all Kenyans found to have broken the law in other countries be expatriated into the country to serve and finish their sentences there.

Kenya’s High Commissioner to Tanzania, Dan Kazungu Posing with Deceased Magufuli
Former Kenya’s High Commissioner to Tanzania, Dan Kazungu Posing with Deceased Magufuli
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Kazungu reiterated his commitment to see the deal through, adding that he has the President's backing on the matter.

"Kenya and Tanzania have enjoyed cordial relationships and we are working to actualize the plan," stated Kazungu.

The talks with Tanzania are timely as there have been several cases involving Kenyan prisoners being unfairly treated in foreign countries, and consequently being denied justice in court, with reports showing that most of Kenyans serving time in foreign prisons are in China. 

When this exchange is actualized, Kenyans jailed in Tanzania will have their jail term re-evaluated to fit with Kenyan legal parameters and provisions suitable for the crimes they were jailed for.

Kazungu argued that it was paramount to protect Kenyan prisoners as they deserve an equal hand in the rule of law, and that they would have a better chance at that in Kenya.

Prisoners Working
The Kenya Prisons Project helps inmates acquire technical skills to help them merge better with society and break the cycle of crime once they are released.

He went on to refer to previous cases of Kenyan prisoners being tortured in foreign countries, and some meeting their deaths at the hand of countries that have no regard for the administration of justice.

The Commissioner added that the recent visit by Tanzanian President Samia Sulu , also contributed to advanced dialogues in a bid to expatriate the Kenyan prisoners in Tanzanian jails, adding that Kenya-Tanzania relations continue to blossom.

Industrial Area Prison
Industrial Area Prison
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