- The Government, led by CS for Interior Kithure Kindiki has lifted the 4-year prison visitation ban, offering hope for families to reunite with their loved ones who are behind bars
- Starting next month, families will have biannual opportunities to see their loved ones, following the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak that initially prompted the ban
- Kindiki, who was touring Naivasha GK prison exclaimed that with the pandemic now behind us, inmates finally have the opportunity to embrace their families once again
The Government has now lifted the four year ban on prison visitation paving the way for thousands of inmates to reunite with their families.
While lifting the ban, the CS for Interior Kithire Kindiki said that starting next month; the families could have a chance to see their loved ones at least once after every six months.
In 2020, the government banned prison visitations following the outbreak of COVID-19 and despite the outbreak being contained; the ban has remained in force.
While visiting Naivasha GK prison, Kindiki said that with the pandemic being a thing of the past, inmates had a chance to reunite with their families.
“We have lifted the ban on prison visitation and from now henceforth families will get a chance to visit the inmates,” he said.
Addressing the inmates, Kindiki lauded ongoing rehabilitation in prisons adding that the government was committed to reducing congestion by 50 percent.
He said that plans were underway to establish a prisoner’s enterprise fund which would come in handy in supporting inmates as they left prisons.
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“This fund will assist inmates with a start-up kit and a small grant which will help them reintegrate with the community once they are released,” he said.
The CS noted with concern the high number of elderly prisons adding that the Power of Mercy Commission would come in handy in addressing their plight.
“We can use the power of mercy to address congestion in prisons mainly targeting the elderly and those inmates who have served long sentences,” he said.
During the visit, the CS launched the Naivasha GK prison maize milling plant which has the capacity of milling 100 bags of maize every day.
“We have plans to launch similar milling plants across the country as part of empowering prisons and making sure that inmates can process food for themselves,” he said.
The officer in charge of the prison Hassan Tari said that there were over 2,300 inmates in the penal institution that is the largest in the country.
“Of the number, over 1,100 are serving long sentences and we are using the education system to rehabilitate our inmates and this has positive effects,” he said.
