Nairobi: The State Department for Correctional Services has asked the National Assembly for Sh4 billion to modernise machinery and equipment at Kenya Prisons Enterprises to strengthen rehabilitation programmes while positioning the correctional services as a key revenue earner. Director of Prisons Farms and Enterprises, Patrick Kariri, said most of the machinery at prison industries and farms was outdated, undermining both productivity and training.
According to Kenya News Agency, the proposed funding will replace obsolete equipment with modern technologies, enabling the enterprises to operate competitively in the market. Kariri stated that the old and obsolete machines will be disposed of and replaced with new ones to enhance production, performance, and efficiency. He noted that the modernisation will have a dual impact: boosting revenues for the correctional service while equipping inmates with employable skills.
Kenya Prisons Enterprises runs workshops and farms across the country, producing a wide range of goods-from school desks, motor vehicle number plates, hospital beds, and uniforms to processed dairy products, baked goods, and even leather footwear. However, many of the machines powering these units are relics of the 1970s and 1980s, hampering efficiency in production. In carpentry, for instance, creaking band saws and manual planers are still used to cut timber into desks and cabinets, while tailoring workshops rely on foot-powered sewing machines to stitch prison and school uniforms.
With the proposed funding, the obsolete equipment will be replaced with industrial-grade equipment such as CNC wood-cutting machines, digital embroidery units, and modern welding sets-technology that can raise efficiency, cut costs, and produce goods that compete with imports. The Kenya Prisons Enterprise Fund Regulations 2025, currently under stakeholder review, seek to consolidate the existing Prisons Industries Fund (1987) and Prisons Farms Fund (1993) into a single entity governed by a board and chief executive officer.
According to Kariri, aligning prison enterprises with modern financial and governance frameworks will help transform them into commercially viable ventures. This is expected to significantly raise the department's revenue base, which currently relies on small-scale, low-output production due to old machinery. The reforms also provide for inmates to benefit financially from their labour in structured ways, while officers with relevant expertise will be tapped to support the fund before new staff are recruited.
Kariri said once the modernisation takes effect, prison workshops and farms will be able to produce goods and services that compete in the open market, while ensuring that rehabilitation remains at the core of the enterprises. He emphasised that more inmates could be enrolled in training programmes, acquire certification, and utilise their skills after release. Public participation forums have already been held in major prisons across the country, with the final draft of the regulations expected to be completed in the coming weeks.