Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has called for increased investment in skills development and rehabilitation programmes for offenders, saying effective correctional services can contribute to job creation, economic growth and safer communities.
Mudavadi made the remarks during the closing ceremony of the fourth edition of Correctional Service Week 2026 at the Edge Convention Centre in Nairobi, where officials renewed calls for sustainable, resource-efficient and climate-resilient practices across the country’s correctional system.
He said rehabilitation programmes should address the root causes of offending while equipping inmates with practical skills and values needed to reintegrate into society as responsible citizens.
“At the heart of everything we do lies a deeper purpose: facilitating genuine change in human lives,” he said.
“Effective correctional services address the root causes of offending, reduce reoffending and prepare people to return as responsible members of society,” he added.
Mudavadi’s remarks linked offender rehabilitation to the broader national economic transformation agenda, which seeks to expand opportunities, improve livelihoods and promote inclusive development.
State Department for Correctional Services Principal Secretary Dr. Salome Beacco said digital transformation in correctional facilities should go beyond acquiring technology, emphasising the need to use innovation to restore human dignity and improve service delivery.
Beacco said the department was focused on building the capacity to adopt and use appropriate technologies, upgrade professional skills, reduce administrative workloads and encourage innovation across the correctional system.
“Our objective remains: to leverage ICT to strengthen records management, accountability, operational efficiency and evidence-informed decision-making,” she said.
On environmental sustainability, Beacco reaffirmed the department’s commitment to transitioning correctional facilities to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and other clean energy solutions in line with the government’s green agenda.
“This is not just an environmental imperative; it is a health, economic, and human rights imperative. We invite development partners, the private sector and relevant government agencies to support this transition through appropriate technologies, financing and technical expertise,” she noted.
Petroleum Principal Secretary Kello Harsama said his department was working with the State Department for Correctional Services on a joint initiative to transition Kenya Prisons Service and probation facilities from wood fuel to LPG and other clean energy alternatives.
The initiative is intended to reduce reliance on wood fuel while promoting cleaner energy use across correctional institutions.
The closing ceremony brought together Commissioner General of Prisons Patrick Aranduh, Probation and Aftercare Service Secretary Shadrack Kavutai, local and international development partners, and officers from across the State Department for Correctional Services.
The discussions highlighted the importance of combining rehabilitation, digital innovation and environmental sustainability in efforts to improve correctional services and support the successful reintegration of offenders into society.
