Female prisoners to undergo digital skills training, PS says
By Samuel Kariuki, March 10, 2023
The government will boost digital literacy programme among female inmates to enhance technical skills training offered in correctional facilities.
Correctional Services Principal Secretary Mary Muriuki said the programme will enable female prisoners to be empowered in the technology and innovation sector.
“If we continue to diversify the programmes we offer, they will be empowered with skills that will help them become productive members of society after their incarceration,” Muriuki said.
The PS urged inmates to take up the skills offered as they serve their term, adding that it is the only way to demonstrate transformation after their release.
After imprisonment, PS Muriuki advised them to utilise other government initiatives like the Hustler Fund which can be a source of startup capital for small businesses.
Currently, majority of prisons offer technical skills to inmates where women are trained in knitting, baking, beadwork, beauty and hairdressing.
The PS disclosed that plans were underway between the Correctional Services department and the Judiciary to review cases of mothers serving petty offences sentences with their children, to instead serve their sentences under Community Service Orders.
She said her department is also advocating for the use of Alternative Dispute Resolutions to address the congestion challenge in correctional facilities across the country.