Children living with their parents in prisons have applauded the government over a plan to set up child care centers for 250 children currently.
According to Interior Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Winnie Guchu, they are working on a policy that will enable the government to establish child care centers so as to support the children who accompanied their parents live a normal life.
Speaking after inspecting Malindi GK Prison in Kilifi county together with Fellow Interior CAS Hussein Dado, she said once the policy is in place the children will be well taken care of and live a normal life like others outside prisons.
“Children who accompanied their mothers in prison are not convicts, they must live a normal life the way they could live out of Prison,” she said.
Ms. Guchu who was also accompanied by Prisons Commissioner General Wycliff Osugo said the child play centers shall be made in such a way that the children shall play, sleep well, and be entertained.
Further, she said the facilities shall enable them to have naps during the day and sleep comfortably at night.
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At the same time, she said the plan will enable them to set up facilities that will have a kitchen, play area, sleeping area, playground, food storage facilities, toilets, and caregivers.
She said some of the prisons have only one child and others get a child after a long period which does not deserve such facilities.
The CAS said they will conduct research to study the history of cases before making a decision on where to build the child care centers.
In the policy being formulated, she said they will ensure a standard child care center is set up at a prison that has about 10 children.
She said plans are also underway to allow members of the public to visit convicts across the county after the visitation was suspended due to Covid 19 facilities.
She said most of the prison facilities have cubes where convicts can meet their relatives and will be used to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
“Those prisons which do not have cubes we shall develop makeshifts so as to allow the convicts to meet their relatives while serving their sentences in prisons,” she said.
She said the prisoners have not been visited by their loved ones for the last one year which is not good as it affects their psychology.
“We are still examining the safety of the facilities to stop the spread of Covid-19 and if possible, we shall modify some of the facilities to ensure safety,” said the CAS.
Mr Dado on his part urged members of the public to ensure they take the Covid-19 vaccination so as to protect their loved ones.
He said people should take advantage of the vaccines being supplied to health facilities countrywide and be vaccinated and stop shying away from vaccination.
*This article was written by Ramadhan Kambi for Uzalendo News. Email: uzalendonews24@gmail.com to submit your story.
