On Wednesday, February 28, Cabinet Secretary of the Ministry of Interior and National Coordination, Kithure Kindiki, revoked a ban that the ministry had imposed on prison visits in 2020.
The CS announced that family members would now be permitted to visit their incarcerated relatives in correctional facilities following the lifting of the ban.
Speaking at the Naivasha Maximum Prison, during the commissioning of a prison maize milling plant, Kindiki noted that the ban had been put in place owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ban which was imposed in March 2020, after the announcement of the first case of COVID-19 in the country was intended to be lifted in 30 days, a decision that was never revisited.
This policy adjustment is expected to apply to all correctional facilities such as maximum security prisons, youth corrective training institutions and borstal institutions.
However, Kindiki has explained that there is no reason to have the ban ongoing as the threat has now been combated.
“When I look at you today, I can see that all of you are well. Considering the ban that was previously imposed, I don't see any reason why we shouldn't allow your families to visit you in prison,” explained Kindiki.
Additionally, the CS added that families should be allocated at least one day within a specified period for visitation rights to be fulfilled.
“Families should have at least one day allocated for visits within a timeframe that will be determined by the government at a later date,” Kindiki stated.
The CS also requested that the Naivasha Maximum Prison officials, provide a proposal for the organisation to benefit from a tournament.
Prison visits were instituted as part of the Kenya Prison Reforms with the aim of re-establishing connections between families and their loved ones who were incarcerated.
Additionally, these reforms sought to provide incarcerated individuals with hope and to reintegrate them into a semblance of normalcy, akin to their lives before the COVID-19 pandemic.
