Deputy Commissioner General of Prisons, Nicholas Maswai has issued a direct order for all prisons in Kenya to surrender land for the construction of mosques and churches.

Speaking during the opening of a mosque at the Machakos Prison, the public official, while pointing out that the facility had been built with donor funds, made the case for carving out land to ensure that prisoners get the spiritual nourishment they need.

The move, according to Maswai aligns with the overall government policy to reform and improve the human rights conditions at correctional facilities.

"The Kenyan Prison Service is willing to donate land for those donors who wish to put up mosques and service," he stated during the event.

Maswai went on to point out that prison administrators were looking to hire more religious leaders from across different faiths to handle the spiritual needs of both prisoners and state officers serving at the correctional facilities.

He referenced the hiring of Muslim maalims in 2021 as a step in the direction of integrating spiritual reform as part of the rehabilitation and reintegration of convicts into the society. 

At the same event, Chief Maalim of the Kenya Prisons Sheikh Abass Makter, who is the senior most Muslim cleric in the prisons service pledged his full support to ensure that the newly opened mosque dubbed Masjid Yussuf serves the prison community.

Makter said the mosque will serve as a space for reflection for inmates and prison staff.

The Kenya Prison Service has been undergoing significant reforms. In June, the government partnered with the Chandaria Foundation to modernize prison workshops and set up bakeries nationwide. 

This initiative is designed to enhance prisoners' skills and provide them with opportunities to support their families while incarcerated.

Correctional Services Principal Secretary Salome Beacco stated that the reforms are intended to empower inmates through productive activities. 

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua in November 2023, called for a transformative approach within Kenyan prisons, emphasizing their potential in advancing agriculture and industrialization. 

“Create a revolving fund and make prisons self-sustainable. There is no reason why they should not produce enough food for inmates instead of buying the foodstuffs and selling the surplus. Penal institutions have huge tracts of land,” the Deputy President said.