Kindiki Pushes for Greener, Technology-Driven Correctional Facilities
Stakeholders pose for a group photo during the official opening of the fourth Correctional Services Week 2026 in Nairobi on October 13, 2026.
Kenya’s correctional facilities are set for increased use of artificial intelligence, data analytics and environmentally friendly technologies as the government seeks to improve offender rehabilitation, institutional efficiency and public safety.
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki said modernising correctional services would help institutions identify operational weaknesses, improve rehabilitation programmes and make better use of limited resources.
He spoke in Nairobi during the opening of the fourth Correctional Services Week 2026, whose theme, Transforming Correctional Services through Technology and Green Solutions, focuses on innovation and environmental sustainability in the management of correctional institutions.
Kindiki said the reforms should balance technological advancement with the protection of the rights, privacy and dignity of people under correctional supervision.
He said the government intended to leverage digital innovation to strengthen public institutions and improve service delivery, while ensuring that emerging technologies were used responsibly.
The Deputy President urged the State Department for Correctional Services to align its digital transformation programmes with national policies, including the National Digital Master Plan 2022–2032 and the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2025–2030.
He also stressed the need for effective cybersecurity and data-protection measures to safeguard sensitive information and critical infrastructure as institutions increasingly adopt digital systems.
Beyond technology, Kindiki called for correctional facilities to embrace green initiatives, including renewable energy, water harvesting, conservation, climate-smart agriculture and tree growing.
He said such interventions would help institutions respond to climate-related challenges while promoting more sustainable operations.
The reforms come amid growing emphasis on rehabilitation as a key component of the justice system, with correctional institutions expected to prepare offenders for their eventual return to society while safeguarding the public.
Principal Secretary for Correctional Services Salome Beacco said the department was committed to transforming correctional institutions into centres that uphold human dignity, rehabilitate offenders and support their successful reintegration into communities.
She said achieving lasting improvements required coordinated action among government agencies and other partners.
“At the core of our mandate is the responsibility to promote a just and secure society through effective offender management and the administration of justice, guided by our pursuit of excellence in correctional services,” said Beacco.
Kenya’s Special Envoy for Climate Change in the Executive Office of the President, Ali Mohammed, said combining technology with environmental sustainability offered opportunities to improve correctional operations and equip offenders for life after custody.
Mohammed observed that the effects of climate change had increased the urgency of adopting sustainable practices, adding that environmentally responsible approaches could strengthen institutional resilience.
Kindiki commended the State Department for Correctional Services for its ongoing reform efforts, describing the sector as an important pillar of national security and the administration of justice.
The event brought together National Assembly Justice and Legal Affairs Committee Chairperson George Murugara, Principal Secretary for Devolution Michael Lenasalon, Commissioner General of Prisons Patrick Aranduh, Probation and Aftercare Service Secretary Shadrack Kavutai and Community Service Orders Chairperson Margaret Muigai.
Also present were The Prem Rawat Foundation-USA Programme Director Willow Baker and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Deputy Regional Representative Koen Marquering, among other stakeholders.
