Embu: Plans to establish a Sh9 million special unit for Mother and Child at the Embu Women’s Prison are underway to improve the living conditions and welfare of children living alongside their incarcerated mothers. Principal Secretary for Correctional Services, Dr. Salome Beacco, highlighted the initiative by FreedomWithin Kenya, emphasizing the government’s commitment to upgrading daycare and child-friendly facilities across 46 women’s prisons to shift the criminal justice system from being punitive to a rehabilitative model.
According to Kenya News Agency, the State Department for Correctional Services is leveraging partnerships to advance the envisaged reforms. Dr. Beacco stated that the government is dedicated to ensuring humane treatment for all individuals under its care, adhering to the Kenyan Constitution and international human rights standards. She also noted that the effectiveness of correctional services relies on the professionalism and discipline of officers responsible for the care and rehabilitation of incarcerated individuals.
Dr. Beacco expressed appreciation for FreedomWithin Kenya and its partners for supporting the Embu Mother and Child Care Unit, acknowledging their role in restoring hope, health, safety, hygiene, and dignity to children, while providing a conducive environment for mothers to engage in rehabilitation and vocational training.
During the groundbreaking ceremony, Dr. Mary Waceke Thongoh-Muia, Partnership Lead at FreedomWithin Kenya, emphasized the need for greater collaboration among various stakeholders to address the needs of children living in prisons with their incarcerated mothers. She stressed the importance of ensuring that children’s basic needs for safety, hygiene, nutrition, play, learning, and nurturing are met in a prison environment.
The event also marked the commissioning of a new Sh4 million WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) facility, designed to create a safer, healthier, and more child-friendly environment for mothers and young children. This facility includes child-friendly toilets and showers, handwashing facilities, a laundry area, baby-changing amenities, disability-inclusive toilets, a water tower, and a water reticulation system.
The facility was funded with seed money from the Napier Fellowship USA, awarded to Ms. Shakinar Mutulili, a co-founder of FreedomWithin Kenya. The project also received pro-bono architectural and project management support from Triad Architects, as well as administrative support from FreedomWithin Kenya. Contributions from family, friends, and the Triad Foundation further supported the initiative, with the Kenya Prisons Service providing institutional leadership and technical guidance.
The Embu project represents a significant milestone in the journey of FreedomWithin Kenya, which began in 2018 when Shakinar and her sister Naikena mobilized their peers to support children living with incarcerated mothers through food and diaper drives.
