Nairobi: The Kamiti Medium Security Prison has become the latest correctional facility to benefit from the construction of a new tuition block, which will provide inmates with a platform to undertake academic instruction and literacy programmes. The projects, courtesy of the M-Pesa Foundation, are part of a broader reform agenda aimed at empowering reformed offenders, particularly after the expiry of their sentences.
According to Kenya News Agency, the classroom block comprises a staffroom, an ICT lab, and an ablution block that create a better environment for inmates to pursue education and skills development. Speaking during the launch, Correctional Services Principal Secretary (PS), Dr. Salome Beacco, pointed out that the facility will help equip offenders with critical skills to aid their reintegration into society. She said the fully equipped tuition block will advance formal and vocational training within correctional settings, ensuring those who benefit from the facility are wholly rehabilitated and reformed.
The PS highlighted that the department has undertaken a host of reforms aimed at expanding both formal education and training programmes. ‘These include registering prison facilities as public learning centers and establishing digital and science laboratories to help inmates gain valid academic certificates and successfully reintegrate into society,’ Dr. Beacco outlined.
While appreciating the donation by the M-Pesa Foundation, Commissioner General of Prisons, Patrick Aranduh, noted the importance of equipping inmates with skills and knowledge that would support their reintegration into society, thereby reducing recidivism. M-Pesa Foundation Executive Director Karen Basiye pledged her organization’s commitment to supporting the State Department in its endeavour.
Basiye announced that the foundation will explore the possibility of further collaboration in areas including health, education, economic empowerment, and environmental conservation. ‘The options include the possibility of establishing a TVET model workshop in one of the country’s correctional facilities,’ she said.
Meanwhile, the initiative to build the facility reaffirms the government’s commitment to strengthen rehabilitation and prepare offenders for successful reintegration into society after serving their jail terms.
