NAIROBI, Kenya – Kenya’s prisons are operating under severe financial strain, with the government allocating a mere Sh192 per inmate daily—well below the Sh275 needed to meet basic needs.
This dire situation has led to a mounting debt of Sh3 billion for the State Department for Correctional Services, with unpaid bills spiraling out of control.
Principal Secretary Salome Muhia revealed the gravity of the situation during her appearance before the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee.
She highlighted that the daily per capita amount provided for each inmate falls far short of what is required for even basic sustenance, such as a loaf of bread and a cup of porridge.
This has pushed prisons into a state of growing desperation, unable to meet the needs of those incarcerated.
Muhia attributed the escalating unpaid bills to consistent budget cuts by the National Treasury, which have undermined the department’s ability to fulfill its financial obligations.
While the department’s budget is approved by Parliament, it is frequently revised downward during supplementary budgeting, leaving the correctional services without the necessary funds to settle outstanding debts with suppliers.
“The problem has been that our budget is approved by Parliament; it is usually revised in the supplementary estimates, meaning we are unable to meet our obligations,” Muhia explained.
The Auditor General’s report for the 2022-23 financial year revealed that the department’s pending bills had reached a staggering Sh6.8 billion.
However, Muhia noted that recent efforts had reduced the amount to Sh3 billion.
The situation has left the department unable to meet even the most basic operational costs, causing significant disruption to prison operations.
Prison Commissioner General Patrick Mwiti, who accompanied Muhia during the session, emphasized the urgent need for a policy that would protect the department’s budget from future cuts.
Without such safeguards, the financial difficulties facing Kenya’s prisons could persist indefinitely.
A major concern raised by MPs was the long-standing nature of the outstanding bills, some of which date back to as far as 2015.
The department’s development budget for the current financial year was initially set at over Sh1 billion but was drastically reduced to Sh40 million, severely affecting operations and preventing the department from meeting supplier obligations.
The committee’s MPs expressed frustration over the decade-long delay in clearing these debts.
Lugari MP Nabii Nabwera questioned why the department has been unable to convince the Treasury to provide adequate funding during budget discussions.
Mathioya MP Edwin Mugo called for the establishment of a pending bills verification committee to address the backlog and determine a timeline for payment.
The committee chairperson, Tindi Mwale, supported the call for a thorough review, stating that the committee would invite the verification team to provide a clearer path forward.
