Nairobi: The government has announced its plans to construct a modern correctional system that will focus on balancing justice, rehabilitation, and reintegration. The Principal Secretary for Correctional Services, Dr. Salome Beacco, emphasized the importance of not only focusing on inmates but also on the welfare and capacity building of the staff working in the country’s prisons and correctional facilities.
According to Kenya News Agency, Dr. Beacco reaffirmed the government’s commitment to transformative reforms in correctional services through strategic partnerships. She was speaking at the 2nd Bilateral Stakeholders meeting in Nairobi, which brought together key stakeholders in the correctional sector to strengthen collaboration, align policy frameworks, and mobilize resources to enhance service delivery in the country’s correctional system.
The meeting, attended by senior government officials, the Kenya Prisons Service, non-governmental organizations, development partners, civil society, and representatives from academic institutions, was a call to action to restructure the correctional landscape in Kenya. ‘Today’s meeting is a reaffirmation of our dedication to pursue a correctional system that is humane, rehabilitative, and responsive to the needs of the society,’ Dr. Beacco stated, emphasizing that no single entity could achieve the transformative reforms on its own.
Dr. Beacco highlighted milestones such as the initiation of a correctional policy review, pilot projects on alternative sentencing, and improved healthcare access for inmates since the first bilateral meeting held in 2024. However, she acknowledged that much more needed to be done.
Dr. Vincent Ogutu, the Vice Chancellor of Strathmore University, emphasized the role of educational institutions in supporting correctional reforms. He called for an inclusive approach to rehabilitation that prioritizes mental health, skills development, and moral transformation. ‘Correctional facilities should be environments of transformation. Universities like Strathmore are ready to partner with the government to offer educational opportunities to inmates and correctional staff alike,’ Dr. Ogutu said.
Commissioner General of Prisons Patrick Aranduh shared insights into the internal reforms underway within the Kenya Prisons Service, highlighting efforts to digitize prison records, expand vocational training programmes, and improve living conditions in correctional facilities. ‘Our service is undergoing a paradigm shift. We are moving from a punitive model to a correctional one that emphasizes rehabilitation and reintegration,’ Aranduh stated.
The meeting also included a plenary where stakeholders deliberated on priority areas such as prison infrastructure, alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, policy harmonization, and budgetary allocations. Participants unanimously agreed on the need for a multi-sectoral approach involving both public and private institutions in correctional reforms.
A critical outcome of the meeting was the proposal to establish a National Correctional Reforms Coordination Committee to oversee the implementation of policy decisions made during the bilateral engagements. The committee is expected to include members from the public sector, judiciary, civil society, academia, and international development partners.
As the correctional sector in Kenya continues to evolve, the government hopes that such stakeholder engagements will accelerate reform, enhance accountability, and ultimately lead to a correctional system that upholds human dignity and fosters national development.
