The State Department for Correctional Services is intensifying efforts to reform Kenya’s correctional system through enhanced collaboration, policy alignment, and resource mobilization. Speaking at a recent stakeholders’ forum held in Nairobi, Correctional Services Principal Secretary Dr. Salome Beacco highlighted partnerships as a cornerstone for sustainable transformation in the sector.
Addressing a gathering of representatives from the diplomatic corps, Kenya Prisons Service, Probation and Aftercare Services, civil society, and the private sector, Dr. Beacco stressed that meaningful change cannot be achieved in isolation. “Our presence here affirms a vital truth: real, lasting change is never achieved alone. It is forged in the spirit of collaboration,” she said. The forum was held under the theme “Partnerships for impact,” reflecting the department’s commitment to inclusive rehabilitation and reintegration.
Dr. Beacco emphasized that effective rehabilitation is both a moral responsibility and a strategic necessity for national stability, public safety, and inclusive development. She noted that over 55,000 inmates enter correctional facilities annually, while more than 100,000 individuals are managed under non-custodial referrals with supervision. Urging stakeholders to look beyond statistics, she called on them to focus on the inherent potential for reform in every individual.
The PS outlined three strategic pillars underpinning the department’s transformation agenda: legal and institutional strengthening, rehabilitation and social protection, and economic empowerment alongside environmental sustainability. These pillars aim to reshape the correctional services into a system that respects human rights, supports social reintegration, and contributes to community development.
On ongoing reforms, Dr. Beacco reaffirmed the department’s commitment to aligning with the Constitution of Kenya (2010) and international human rights standards. She also announced plans to digitize correctional services through the development of an offender management information system, aiming to improve transparency and service delivery.
Dr. Beacco concluded by urging all stakeholders to foster open dialogue, co-create solutions, and evaluate success not merely by numbers but by the transformed lives and restored communities that the reforms aspire to achieve.
