An Investigations report on the alleged maladministration at the Nairobi Remand and Allocation Maximum Prison

Abstract

The Commission undertook investigations on Suo Motu basis, into the allegations of unfair treatment, injustices meted out on inmates, dereliction of duty, abuse of power and general governance failure at Nairobi Remand and Allocation Maximum Prison. The investigations team visited the facility and interviewed a number of prison officers and prisoners besides recovering several documents relevant to the matter under investigation. The information gathered was analyzed to inform the findings of the investigations. It was confirmed that inmates held at the Capital Block of Nairobi Remand and Allocation Maximum Prison staged a protest by refusing to take meals served at the facility on 20th and 21st August, 2018 as a result of stringent measures the management of the facility had adopted to tackle contraband items such as mobile phones, hard drugs (heroine and bhang), prescription medicine (Valium, Cosmos) and cigarettes smuggled into the facility. Evidence revealed that the practice was aided by prison officers. It was also established that the facility is very congested with about 2,612 inmates instead of the standard capacity, 1,288. This was attributed to delay in processing of bond or bail applications by the courts and when issued they were too high for the inmates, thus exacerbating the problem of congestion. Consequently, the cost of feeding the inmates was high at KSh.648, 000 per day. It was also established that the facility faces a number of challenges including deplorable housing conditions, strained infrastructure (accommodation blocks, visitation room and health facility), lack of modern security equipment (CCTV cameras, metal detectors and mobile phone detectors), limited buses to transport inmates to various courts and non-payment of allowances to prison officers who escort inmates to various courts around the country. Other challenges include provision of inadequate supplies (uniform and blankets for inmates, and cleaning detergents), lack of adequate number of counselors, lack of complaints handling desk and poor records management hence misplacement and loss of important documents in the documentation office