Listen to This Article Enhance your reading experience by listening to this article.

Interior ministry is disposing of through a public auction livestock belonging to Kenya Prisons Service that was, ironically, reared to cut the cost of beef diet for prisoners.

The move by the ministry’s State Department for Correctional Services comes despite the fact that the prisons department embarked on rearing livestock, among other farming projects, to make the service food self-sufficient.

Concerns have been raised on the logic of the auction bearing in mind the service continues to buy meat to feed the inmates.

“The project was meant to cut the cost of feeding prisoners besides instilling discipline and inculcating the spirit of hard work,” a senior government official told People Daily.

Replacement of breeds

Though experts have warned the service risks not getting value for money, sources in the department, however, defended the move, saying the auction will help cut wastage.

They also said some of the animals are old and need to be sold and replaced with better breeds.

“The government through the ministry of Interior invites eligible bidders for disposal of prison’s livestock for the financial year 2020/21,” the notice read.

Currently, there are more than 3,600 heads of livestock in the correctional facilities and the service consumes about 990 tonnes of meat every year.

In Kamiti Prison, for example, the service established a beef farm with about 350 Boran cattle.

The project was started in 2018 with about 50 heads of cattle acquired from the Agricultural Development Corporation (ADC).

Initially, the plan was to cut the cost incurred on beef by half. The ministry embarked on a scheme to enhance and commercialise the farms for better productivity, and ultimately to make the service food self-sufficient.

Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i says the ministry embarked on a scheme to enhance and commercialise the farms for better productivity and ultimately to make the service self-sufficient to provide about 990 tonnes of meat every year.

In an advert in the dailies on May 25, the ministry said it was disposing livestock for the financial year 2020/21 through Tender No. SDC/34/2020-2021.

It has, however, not been established if the government will get value for money by selling them through auction and not to the recently refurbished and now fully operational Kenya Meat Commission (KMC) managed by the military, or just use them to feed the prisoners.

Earn revenue

President Uhuru Kenyatta has directed all security agencies including the prisons to start getting meat supplies from KMC with a view of developing and empowering farmers. 

One of the main mandates of the service is to rehabilitate criminals. Despite the funding challenges, the service is involved in farming, livestock rearing and many other activities. 

The farms, apart from producing food, also keep the prisoners busy and go a long way in the process of rehabilitation.

In Nyandarua, for example, the service is engaged in English potato farming, while in Kitale, Eldoret, Shikusa in Kakamega county, and Uasin Gishu’s Ngeria is maize production. 

According to experts, the projects are not only affordable ways to feed the prison population and earn revenue, but also a disciplinary rehabilitative work programme.