Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has requested that the Prisons Department use the nation's prison facilities to advance industrialization, agriculture, and the realization of the food security agenda.
The Deputy President stated that because prisons have sizable land areas, the department has the potential to become profitable and self-sufficient in terms of food supply.
"Operationalize the prisons industry and work with private people in marketing the furniture products. The prison industry can be profitable. Create a revolving fund and make prisons self sustainable. There is no reason why they should not produce enough food for inmates instead of buying the foodstuffs and selling the surplus. Penal institutions have huge tracts of land," he said.
Following the opening of Correctional Services Week, the Deputy President gave a speech on Wednesday at Nairobi's Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).
Did you read this?
Those with him were Senator Samson Cherargei of Nandi, Principal Secretary Salome Muhia-Beacco of the State Department of Correctional Services, and Brigadier (Rtd) John Kibaso Warioba, Commissioner-General for Prisons.
The Deputy President urged the jail guards to participate in the Greening Kenya Initiative, which aims to plant 15 billion trees by 2032, even as he praised the department for changing the lives of offenders and rehabilitating and reintegrating them into society.
"Our responsibility extends beyond the rehabilitation of individuals to the protection of our environment. The focus areas include the Greening Kenya initiative, establishing nurseries in various correctional stations and fostering innovation in regenerative enterprises. By integrating environmental consciousness into our practices, we are ensuring a sustainable legacy for future generations," he said.
.png)
At the function, the Deputy President was given accounts of the Correctional Services' triumphs by two former inmates: Edwin Nyaga, a fourth-year student at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, and Dr. Justin Mabuka, a veterinary surgeon.
The two described how the probation department of the prison allowed them to continue their education while incarcerated.
Mr. Gachagua continued that effective community safety results from a cooperative effort between state and non-state actors.
The Deputy President said he will shortly start discussing issuing Certificates of Good Conduct to ex-convicts with independent constitutional commissions and Parliament.
He mentioned that ex-offenders have trouble obtaining Certificates of Good Conduct, which could help them find employment.
