This is after High court judge Luka Kimaru; who signs off as national chairman of the Community Service Orders (CSO) ruled in favour of prisoners in a lubber measure to see prison circles decongested.
The affected inmates shall be released from the period dating 15th April to end May.
Only petty offenders and those with long term sentences but have served to see off a huge chunk of their sentences reduced to three months or less shall be considered.
"These are basically petty offenders serving a sentence of three years and below. Or who were sentenced to longer periods but have a sentence of 3 years or less remaining," said Justice Kimaru.
Privy, the one month long exercise shall be undertaken by CSO officers, probation and aftercare service officials, as well as those from the prisons and Judiciary.
The "men who appeared atop the scaffold" that are deemed beneficiaries of the above action will be released and integrated into community work.
Counties that are to witness highest numbers of convicts released within the aforementioned time span include Nairobi county (624), Eldoret ( 429), Mombasa county (336), Kiambu county (288), Nakuru (282), Kisumu (204), and 199 convicted individuals from Kisii, Bommet and Trans Nzoia.
Lowest number of petty offenders emanate from counties including Migori (49), Siaya (45), Tana River (44), Vihiga county (40), Garissa (40) and Marsabit which will see 26 individuals off penal institutions' perimeters.
Cringe worthy it is to note that none in this bracket of offenders shall be set free from Nyamira and TaitaTaveta counties.
The above set of individuals once released from prison will be sent to their homes. The government lobbies for national unity as well as family unity through such a programme. Albeit fostering unity alone, the measure shall see the released individuals clear rifts and reconcile with the offended community.
One consortium dubbed Criminal Justice System Audit (CJSA) carried out a retrospective survey and published its report in 2017. According to their findings, every two years, more than four million netizens are arrested and detained.
32% of these arrests are converted to charges in courts of law. 70% of the above charges are related directly to petty offences.
The CSO Act was adopted and established by legislators through an act of parliament. Its reason for set up largely being to find a way of addressing challenges in prison, most significantly on matters congestion.
Our Kenya is hugely affected as far as accomodation of prisoners is concerned. Penal institutions are brimming with an astounding number of 55,000 prisoners against a possible holding capacity of only but 32,000.
The programme to offset cells of inmates has largely helped the government in saving cash it would have otherwise used to cater for prisoners' welfare. It is also a wide measure in curbing contagious illnesses that normally cause chaotic stumbles within prison walls.
People especially the community and members of the public should change their attitude as to the way they perceive people who were once offenders, the community must be ready to accept these people and as much as possible assist them to integrate and settle down
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DeleteThat is a much more positive move if undertaken. Cringe worthy at best.
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