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{
    "id": 590025,
    "url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/590025/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 319,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Elachi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13115,
        "legal_name": "Beatrice Elachi",
        "slug": "beatrice-elachi"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I thank Sen. Adan, who is also a former Commissioner of the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC). During her time at the KHRC, she advocated for women who had been raped. I thank Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale and Sen. Hassan for the contributions they have made. I also thank our former Vice-President, Hon. Moody Awori who made sure that the plight of prisoners in our country was understood. It was during his tenure that people started having more outreach programmes to prisons. Looking at prisons today, there is need to restructure the whole sector. We are currently doing police reforms but we have never thought of the inmates, the prison warders, and how to deal with petty offenders and hardcore criminals. When you visit prisons today, you will find that the petty offenders are put together with the hardcore criminals and that is why many Kenyans have ended up conned by inmates through the phone. Our mothers and grandmothers have sent Mpesa to those inmates unknowingly. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the fundamental issue that has been brought out by Sen. Adan is that we need to look at the issue of sanitation, nutrition and overcrowding in prisons. However, I think that until we look into the welfare of the warders, the issue of corruption will not end. Prison warderns are corrupt because their pay is low and their welfare is pathetic thus the need for them to look for alternative sources to make money. Article 10 of the Constitution is about national values and principles of governance. We should, therefore, treat the inmates with dignity while they serve their time in correctional facilities. There was time when we had good juvenile facilities while today, we do not even know where the juvenile courts are or where to take juveniles who have been sentenced. It is very unfortunate that our youth are facing critical challenges today. They end up in hardcore gangs because when they are arrested and remanded at Industrial Area Remand Prison, they meet hardcore criminals who have committed serious crimes and they end up worse people than when they went in. When we talk about a correctional institution, how do we ensure that a young person who was imprisoned comes out reformed and ready to work with the community? The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}