Beverly Lungatso: Kibos Prison boss fondly known as 'Mom'

In June 2020, a senior colleague approached Beverly Lungatso, with some startling news.

He told her she was being transferred to the Kibos Maximum Prison in Kisumu County.

At first she brushed it off as some friendly prank, thinking the senior officer was only out to tease her, or had picked up unconfirmed reports from another colleague without checking the facts.

She knew if the transfer came, she would be moved to the medium prisons at Kibos, not a security facility hosting hardened criminals jailed for serious crimes like murder and robbery. The 50-year-old ever thought she would one day be in charge of a male maximum prison.

What started as a rumour was, however, finally confirmed after she received a phone call from her seniors. Her transfer made her the second female head at a male maximum prison after Wanini Kireri, the Senior Superintendent of Prisons who headed Shimo la Tewa Maximum Security Prison, Mombasa, in 2002/03. The facility (Kibos) had 2,400 inmates then.

Brave face

The former head of Homa Bay Prison says she was directed to report to Kibos the following day. She had previously served as Vihiga Prisons County Commander in 2015, before she was promoted to Kibos.

“At first I was scared. The prison had been linked to many negative activities and those who had served there ahead of me, had only managed to work for three months before being transferred elsewhere,” says Ms Lungatso.

The facility hosts inmates serving more than 20 years and those on life sentence.

Initially, some friends discouraged her from reporting there, saying her transfer would end her career. By then, she had served in the Prisons Department for 25 years.

She, however, decided to take up the challenge and put on a brave face . After one-and-a-half years marred by hurdles, she managed steer the prison facility to new heights and spruce up its image, thanks to her tough stance on reforms and correctional measures.

Her reception had been lukewarm. The staff and inmates were indifferent. The inmates had thought that, like others before her, she would be gone in a few months. They were wrong.

During her visits to the cells, Ms Lungatso would hear the prisoners sneer at her presence and mutter in hushed tones: “Wewe mama, na ujue hii ni maximum prison ya wanaume, utawezana kweli? (You woman, we hope you understand this is a male maximum prison. Things here are not easy. Will you really succeed?)

Her response was usually swift in such circumstances. She would give them a stern look and explain that she was aware of the challenges involved.

“I realised I had to be tough to face the 855 inmates and the 322 prison wardens, to execute my duties effectively,” says Ms Lungatso.

“I had attended a number of training (sessions) locally, and out of the country. This gave me the mettle to face the daunting task ahead of me bravely.”

During the first few weeks, detectives came knocking to track down inmates involved in illegal mobile transactions. This served to indicate the task ahead, given the calibre of prisoners at the station.

Family life

But the Loreto High School, Matunda, alumna says her family background had prepared her for tough assignments.

“I was born in Shinyalu, Kakamega County, in a family of six. I am the third born and the first daughter.”

As a girl, she was entrusted with the responsibility of taking care of her younger siblings.

She joined the prisons as a constable in 1991 and later transferred to Kodiaga Prison and Kakamega Women’s Prison as the officer in charge.

“I have also worked in other prison facilities, including Lang’ata Women's Prison, Prisons Headquarters, Kitale Women’s Prisons, Kamiti Youth Corrective Centre and Nairobi West Prisons.”

Ms Lungatso has had the chance to travel abroad for prison assignments as a correctional adviser. She has been to Tubmanburg Prison in Liberia, Bentiu and Awell prison in South Sudan.

Besides being a criminology and security management graduate, she has a diploma in criminology and social order.

“I have attended further studies in universities in India and the United Kingdom on human rights and management of national crime records,” says Ms Lungatso.

Her duties involve frequent inspection visits to prison cells. But she says she reduced the visits to accord the inmates some privacy.

 “I trained myself to walk in the cells while exhibiting the highest level of confidence. I would do this with my hands in my pockets, making me appear fearless.”

She always ensures the inmates are peaceful and orderly during meal times, and are supplied with personal items, including tissue paper and soap.

She drew up a new plan to win the inmates' confidence by holding regular sessions during which she reminds them of the rules and the consequences of non-compliance.

“Most of the prisoners here do not come directly from courts. A number are brought from smaller or medium prison facilities whenever they break the rules.”

The mother of three,  says she has asserted her authority and gets along with inmates without much trouble. She, however, recalls an incident two months after she reported, when she came face to face with her first hurdle during a riot by some inmates.

Tough choices

“I had been out of office for a few days when the wardens informed me that the prisoners had refused to engage in any duties. They would wake up in the morning to bask in the sun until evening,” says Ms Lungatso.

She asked the wardens to order the inmates back to their cells. They disobeyed. She went to the prison’s main square where all the 855 inmates had converged and faced them.

“I stood right in the middle of the square, closed my eyes and ordered the prisoners to get back to their blocks before I opened my eyes. I warned them that those who disobeyed the order would face the consequences,” she says.

When she opened her eyes, the square was empty; the prisoners had scrambled back to their cells.

Ms Lungatso introduced exercises and football matches to keep the inmates busy and physically fit.

They also attend rehabilitation sessions and play games including football matches. This has helped her build a good relationship with them. They now call her “Mom”.

The officer also reveals that she has partnered with well-wishers and churches who often visit to donate basic necessities like soap and tissue paper for use by inmates.

To find out how the wardens are doing, Ms Lungatso interacts with their wives directly, engaging them in discussions on matters affecting their families.

“We often assemble and discuss the issues affecting the officers and their spouses and this has helped limit cases of conflict at work,” she says.

According to Ms Lungatso, it is time women made tough choices and took up tough assignments that have been a preserve of men in workplaces.

She says her stay at Kibos has made her a very proud officer despite the challenges she has been through in her demanding job.

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