It is a reprieve for prisoners and their families after President Uhuru Kenyatta lifted a ban on prison visitation which had been in effect since March 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic struck.
The President, while presiding over the pass-out ceremony for prison cadets at Ruiru, said that the decision was anchored on the fact that the prison departments had attained a 90 per cent vaccination rate for inmates and 80 per cent for officers.
“I direct that that this ban on visitation be lifted and people be allowed to visit their loved ones under strict guidelines,” announced the President.
He lauded the decision saying that it would give families an opportunity to reintegrate with their incarcerated members in line with the ongoing policy reforms to make correctional services more meaningful.
“Indeed, this decision is to anchor the ongoing reforms where philosophically the place of incarceration has transformed from that which seek retribution to the one that seek restoration, rehabilitation and reintegration.”
To address the challenges faced by children who accompany their parents to prisons, the President ordered a raft of measures meant to accord them a dignified life as they suffer for crimes not committed.
The Head of State described these children as the silent victims of their parents’ deeds, calling for the need to support them to enhance holistic development through education.
“I do direct that the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of the National Government, together with the Commissioner of Prison and in consultation with all stakeholder to immediately develop and issue a policy to safeguard the health and education of children of incarcerated parents in an integrated and systematic manner.”
“During this period of their development children need stable, safe, secure, stimulating and nurturing environment to enable them grow optimally and achieve their developmental potential regardless of the crime committed by their parents,” added the Head of State.
Other measures instituted by the President included the launch of a prison’s hospital to cater to the physical and mental health needs of officers, inmates and their families. The hospital will be completed in April next year according to Kenyatta.
The correctional services in Kenya have been previously seen as punitive rather than supporting individuals to change for the better.
The President noted that such would be addressed by enabling education facilities in prisons for the training of inmates and equipping them with skills to deter them from reoffending when they are set free.
