CONFERENCE ON COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS OPENS IN NAIROBI
By Nicholas Kigondu
A conference that seeks to provide critical insights on approaches to enhance non-custodial measures and community-based rehabilitation in the country kicked off in Nairobi on Tuesday.
Dubbed, advancing community corrections as an alternative to imprisonment in Africa, the conference was officially opened by Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen amid renewed optimism on the country’s course towards a more progressive and humane approach to justice.
According to Murkomen, the forum will present those attending with comparative exchange of knowledge and leverage on strategic partnerships to improve the country’s correctional system, sharing replicable best practices on parole, restorative justice, and community-based alternatives to incarceration.
“This conference provides us with an opportunity to exchange ideas and find out what works across the globe including policy frameworks,” he told the forum.
Speaking at the forum, Correctional Services Principal Secretary Dr. Salome Beacco, said the country has recorded remarkable gains in the push for community corrections as a cost-effective alternative to incarceration. This even as she underscored the significance of the conference saying it will offer more insights on how to enhance non-custodial measures and community-based rehabilitation as part of ongoing efforts to reduce recidivism.
UK Minister for sentencing, youth justice and international justice Hon. Jake Richards said the United Kingdom remains committed to assisting Kenya enhance her security. He said the conference will provide a platform to deliberate on how best to protect the public and reduce crime by exploring the use of non-custodial measures.
Present during the opening were Commissioner General of Prisons Patrick Aranduh, Acting Secretary Probation and Aftercare Service Shadrack Kavutai, UNODC East Africa Representative Ali Elbeirir and Penal reform International Executive Director Olivia Rope.
The conference, which will close on Wednesday, has brought together experts, Heads of Corrections from among other countries Algeria, Burundi, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Mauritius, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, Senegal, Zambia and the United Kingdom.
The conference comes just five months after Kenya played host to yet another international forum, the Consultative Workshop to advance Operationalization of African Commission Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR) resolutions.
The three-day high-level meeting organized by the State Department for Correctional Services in partnership with the Raoul Walleberg Institute brought together Chiefs of Correctional Services from 14 African countries for a strategic, high-level exchange on persistent and emerging challenges, with the aim of catalyzing practical, rights-based, and regionally grounded solutions that are sustainable and scalable.