Kindiki Calls for Faster Adoption of AI in Correctional Services
Kindiki has urged the State Department for Correctional Services to accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence and modern technologies to improve efficiency, rehabilitation and resource management in prisons.
NAIROBI, Kenya – Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has urged the State Department for Correctional Services to hasten the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies within correctional institutions. Speaking during the opening of the fourth Correctional Service Week in Nairobi, Kindiki highlighted the potential benefits of digital technologies, such as data analytics and secure digital communication, in enhancing operational planning, pinpointing service delivery gaps, and optimizing the utilization of scarce resources.
He emphasized that AI and other cutting-edge technologies could revolutionize the way correctional facilities operate, identify inefficiencies, and deliver services more effectively. Kindiki stressed the importance of responsible innovation, cautioning against the misuse of technology. He underscored the need for digital transformation in correctional institutions to be guided by legal frameworks, respect for human dignity, and protection of the rights of inmates.
Kindiki urged the department to harmonize its digital transformation efforts with national policy plans, including the National Digital Master Plan 2022–2032, the National E-Commerce Strategy 2023, and the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2025–2030. By aligning technological advancements with these policies, he argued, the government could ensure that the adoption of AI and other technologies remained consistent with national priorities, cybersecurity standards, and data protection regulations.
Furthermore, Kindiki challenged the department to complement technological investments with a broader range of rehabilitation and reintegration programs. These programs, he suggested, should encompass education, vocational training, psychosocial support, restorative justice, family involvement, and community-based alternatives to imprisonment.
Kindiki envisioned correctional institutions not merely as facilities for confinement, but as hubs for skills development, innovation, and sustainable production. He also called for the adoption of environmentally sustainable practices within correctional facilities, echoing this year's Correctional Service Week theme, ‘Transforming Correctional Services through Technology and Green Solutions’.
Kindiki encouraged the department to incorporate climate-friendly approaches, such as renewable energy, water conservation, efficient waste management, climate-smart agriculture, tree planting, and eco-friendly infrastructure. By merging technological innovation with green solutions, he believed correctional institutions could enhance productivity, optimize resource management, and bolster their role in rehabilitation and sustainable development.
Written by urgent.news from Capital FM Kenya's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
