Prisons Open Doors to Conduct Business
By Mwakwaya Raymond
Email, thecoastnewspaper@gmail.com
Prisons will soon open their doors to do business with the members of the public, the prison department announces.
The prisons will trade in goods and services ranging from furniture, metal, leather as well as dairy products and beauty therapy – all courtesy of the inmates.
Speaking on August 16, 2023 when she toured Shimo la Tewa Maximum Prison in Mombasa, the correction services principal secretary Salome Muhia called on the public to visit nearby prison facilities to sample its services and goods.
“I call upon the public to come and support and promote these institutions by buying their products so that they can continue producing more.”
According to the PS the government will be pumping more funds to Technical Vocational Education Training (TVETs) to enable inmates acquire more knowledge in various disciplines so as to make them viable once they rejoin their communities.
“Currently, we have several inmates who are doing various courses with some sitting for different national exams soon and we need to fully support such people.”
The government, she says, is contemplating revival of the leather industry to revamp the correctional facilities economically as it intends to increase acreage in livestock keeping.
Following public outcry on the issue of visitation, the PS clarified that Kenyans have every right to visit any inmate at the required time, thus none will be restrained from exercising his/her democratic right.
She said the government would soon actualize a proposal to have alternative justice where remandees will be attending court cases while at home to decongest prisons.
The familiarisation tour saw the PS visit five prison facilities in Mombasa County.
