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Kenya: 5,000 Petty Offenders to Be Freed From Prison in Decongestion Program

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4 years ago

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Nairobi — Nearly 5,000 petty offenders are set to be released from prison in a decongestion program between the Judiciary and Prisons Services.

According to Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi, the planned release that will begin next month will run in tandem with the expansion of probation and after-service program targeting the reintegration of the offenders.

Speaking at the launch of training program for newly recruited probation officers at the Kenya School of Government, the CS said prisons were struggling with congestion that has been exacerbated by too many petty offenders among the inmates.

“We don’t have the resources to keep the number of offenders that we have. Some of them we are keeping because of Sh600 fine for traffic offence! We are keeping some matatu violator who packed on a yellow line. Are we serious?” he posed.

“I hope in the next phase of the decongestion campaign between May and June, we will get out about 5000 or so of petty offenders so that we can move them into the probation service program.”

Justice Cecilia Githua who chairs the Community Service Order National Committee that coordinates the probation services said since January this year, 3,000 inmates had been released from prisons to serve in community service.

The prisons will release another 4,620 petty offenders beginning May to decongest the current population of 53, 438 prisoners.

Of the number, 30,689 are convicts while 22,799 are inmates.

The Interior CS stated that the government will also mobilize chiefs and Assistant County Commissioners and the National Government Administration structure to work closely with probation officers in the prisoners’ integration program.