Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki has lifted a suspension which was imposed affecting prison facilities in the country.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, February 28, Kindiki announced that the order suspending regulated family visits in prisons has been lifted immediately.
The debarment order was placed in 2020 during former President Uhuru Kenyatta's reign to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in prison facilities.
Families stopped visiting their loved ones serving various sentences and the order extended for over three years.
"Regulated family visits in Naivasha Maximum Prison and other Correctional Facilities Countrywide resume immediately," Kindiki announced.
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At the same time, the Interior CS revealed that the government was keen to employ IT systems to expedite court hearings.
Besides expediting prison matters, Kindiki noted that the Kenya Kwanza administration was scaling up exercises to equip prisoners with relevant job market skills.
"Through the power of mercy, the Government will decongest prisons and other correctional facilities by 50%. To facilitate virtual Court sessions, the State Department for Correctional Services is remodelling the ICT infrastructure in Prisons countrywide to enable expeditious conclusion of pending matters," Kindiki stated.
"The Prisons Equipment Modernisation program is on course, to impart inmates with relevant technical skills in their rehabilitation journey. Upon conclusion of their time in prison, inmates who have acquired technical skills, are reformed and rehabilitated, will benefit from grants to enable them start their lives afresh, and reintegrate in the society," he added.
Prison decongestion also featured in rounds of reforms announced by CS Kindiki while commissioning the Naivasha Prison Maize Milling Plant with a daily production capacity of 32 tonnes of maize flour.
