The Judiciary, in collaboration with the Prisons and Correctional Services, is undertaking a nationwide prison decongestion exercise.
This initiative aims to ensure that the criminal justice system upholds the principles of justice, humanity, and rehabilitation.
Speaking during an inaugural visit to Garissa G.K. Prison where 18 prisoners were released to continue their sentences through community service, Chief Justice Martha Koome noted that the criminal justice system has undergone significant transformation over the years.
She highlighted the shift from a punitive model of incarceration to a more progressive approach focused on rehabilitation, reintegration, and restoring dignity.
“We are moving away from the old approach that focused solely on punishment—where those who came into conflict with the law were seen as beyond redemption—towards an approach that recognizes the human potential in every person.
We acknowledge that people make mistakes, and sometimes circumstances lead individuals down the wrong path,” said CJ Koome.
The Chief Justice explained that the decongestion initiative aims to achieve a sustainable prison population aligned with the capacity of correctional facilities.
“Congestion severely undermines the prison’s ability to fulfill its core function—rehabilitation and the reformation of offenders. Overcrowded prisons are not conducive to humane living conditions, and without such conditions, the dignity of those incarcerated is compromised,” she said.
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