Govt Seeks Private Sector Support for Prison Reforms

Nairobi, Kenya - The Government has called upon private sector organizations, foundations, and non-state actors to assist in prison infrastructure improvements and rehabilitation programs. This request was made at the ground-breaking ceremony for a KSh9 million mother and child accommodation unit at Embu Women's Prison, which was funded by Freedom Within Kenya and the Triad Foundation.

The unit aims to enhance living conditions for children living with their incarcerated mothers while also supporting the women's rehabilitation and vocational training.

Correctional Services Principal Secretary Dr Salome Beacco emphasized the department's desire to establish collaborations that enhance prisoner welfare and expand vocational training facilities. She highlighted that partnerships with non-state actors would complement government-funded rehabilitation programs, providing prisoners with employable skills for a better life after their sentences.

Beacco expressed gratitude to Freedom Within Kenya and its partners for improving the welfare of incarcerated mothers and their children, providing them with a more conducive environment for rehabilitation and vocational training.

Dr Mary Waceke Thongoh-Muia, Partnership Lead at Freedom Within Kenya, stressed that collaboration between government, corporations, foundations, professional organizations, communities, and individual supporters is crucial for improving rehabilitation efforts. She explained that the partnership is particularly important in addressing the needs of children living in prisons with their incarcerated mothers.

Thongoh-Muia emphasized that the prison environment is not designed to accommodate infants or young children, and their responsibility is to ensure that children's basic needs, such as safety, hygiene, nutrition, play, learning, and nurturing, are not neglected.

At the ceremony, Dr Salome Beacco also commissioned a newly completed ablution block at Embu Women's Prison, constructed by Freedom Within Kenya at a cost of KSh4 million. The facility was funded by seed money from the Napier Fellowship USA, awarded to Shakinar Mutulili, a co-founder of the organization. Triad Architects provided the architectural drawings and technical supervision for both the ablution block and the mother and child accommodation unit.

These projects are expected to improve hygiene, safety, and overall welfare for women prisoners and their children.

Freedom Within Kenya's work has been ongoing since 2018, when it was initiated by Shakinar Mutulili and her sister Naikena. Initially, the organization focused on food and diaper drives for children living alongside incarcerated mothers, but it has since expanded to include projects aimed at improving living conditions and supporting the rehabilitation of mothers.

The mother and child accommodation unit and the commissioning of the ablution block represent recent milestones in the organization's efforts to promote dignity, safety, and rehabilitation within Kenya's prisons.