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Kenya Prisons Service (KPS) has insisted that it is in good terms with its parent department-State Department of Correctional Services which lies in the Ministry of Interior and National Administration.

The Prisons argue that despite experiencing delays in approvals for finances for procurement there is no existing tussle between the office of the Commissioner General of Prisons currently held by General Brigadier (Rtd) John Warioba and the office of the Principal Secretary of Correctional Services.

Terming the delay as the usual bureaucracy that characterises the procurement process with government agencies, Prisons maintained that both offices enjoy a harmonious working relationship.
The process of approval of requisitions by the PS, KPS stated, at time may take a long time putting the security of the 133 prison stations across the country at risk.

In May this year, Warioba sought the intervention of the Justice and Legal Committee of the National Assembly to empower his office to do procurement and submit the returns to the PS adding that under the current setup where the PS remains in charge of procurement, has resulted in increased pending bills thus jeopardising the security of warders and prisoners.

In the 2022/23 financial year, Prisons Service received a budgetary allocation of Sh30.9 billion which included Sh30.3 billion for recurrent expenditure and Sh534.5 million for development.

Early this month President William Ruto appointed Salome Beacco as the Correctional Services Principal Secretary after her predecessor Mary Muriuki was transferred to the State Department of Public Health and Professional Standards.

During her familiarisation tour to various prisons, Beacco said that the government is keen on improving the welfare of both staff and inmates.

Yesterday when she was officially handed the office by her predecessor, Beacco said that she will embark on the construction of children’s day-care, Education and Vocational training facilities which are fully equipped, in prisons.