Interior ministry bans visits prison lines, borstal institutions

Hillary Mageka

The Ministry of Interior has suspended visits to prison lines, borstal institutions and youth correctional training centres across the country for a period of 30 days.

This, it said, is part of the ministry’s contingent measures that have been put in place to protect those in custody.

There are about 54,000 inmates and hundreds of pre-trial remandees in all 107 correctional facilities in the country.

“No visitors will be allowed at any of their 107 correctional facilities as a precautionary measure to minimise face-to-face contact and interaction with the civilian population,” Zeinab Hussein, Principal Secretary for State Department for Correctional Services.

“This injunction has also been extended to the prison staff,” she added.

However, she said the ministry will be progressively reviewing the risk mitigation strategy to effectively keep any possible outbreak at bay.

Besides regular screening, Hussein said,  the prisons department has set up enough hand washing points at all facilities. 

“To ensure uninterrupted supply of soaps, detergents and sanitisers, the Athi River GK Prison has scaled up the producing of these items to meet the increasing demand within the prison industry,” she said.