Uhuru Kenyatta lifts ban on prison visits as 159 cadets graduate
President Uhuru Kenyatta during the inauguration of the Kenya Prisons Staff Training College, water bottling plant.
President Uhuru has lifted the ban on prison visits. The government suspended the visits in March 2020 when the first Covid-19 case was reported in the country.
Mr Kenyatta gave the order during the cadet officers’ graduation at Prison Staff Training College in Ruiru, Kiambu County, yesterday.
Kenya has made great strides in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic and the directive on prison visits should be in line with protocols and guidelines set by the Ministry of Health, the President said.
He added that the visits are important as they maintain inmates’ links with their families and enable reintegration into society once prisoners complete their terms.
“I’m happy to note that Kenya Prison Service has attained a Covid-19 vaccination average of 90 per cent for inmates and more than 80 per cent for uniformed personnel. I therefore direct that the ban on visits be lifted. However, the visitors should observe the strict guidelines,” President Kenyatta said.
The President also broke the ground for the construction of Magereza Hospital at the college, saying it would be completed in the first quarter of 2022.
He asked the Ministry of Interior to formulate a policy that would allow children whose parents are serving prison terms get quality education.
Mr Kenyatta was accompanied by Cabinet Secretaries George Magoha (Education), Joe Mucheru (ICT), Fred Matiang’i (Interior) and Mutahi Kagwe (Health).
A total of 159 prison cadets graduated. They will be deployed to correctional centres around the country immediately.
The training took 13 months. Those successful had different academic qualifications.
The Interior CS said the graduates would use the knowledge and skills learnt to improve prison conditions.
When presiding over the inaugural cadet training in December, Dr Matiang’i said the government would introduce a service structure that harmonises and brings professionalism in the security agencies.
He added that the structure would be implemented in phases, with officers who retire being replaced immediately with those who have the new skills.
The CS, noted the new structure would help boost the capacity of correctional services by training officers’ leadership and management etiquettes that at the end would improve service delivery while dealing with both inmates and citizens.
