A total of 10,000 prisoners have been registered on Social Health Authority (SHA) and now have access to affordable and quality healthcare, Principal Secretary State Department for Correctional Services, Dr Salome Muhia has said.
According to the PS, the exercise of registering inmates across the country is an ongoing exercise that started in May and so far, 10, 000 registered inmates are assured of quality healthcare as they target to register all the 60,000 inmates in the country.
She emphasized on the importance of ensuring all Kenyans register for SHA and get affordable and quality healthcare including all inmates in prison and probation centers who also have a right to quality healthcare as stated in the constitution.
“10,000 prisoners have registered for SHA and we anticipate to register all 60 000 prisoners in Kenya since Article 43 of the constitution provides that healthcare is a right and is to be extended even to the inmates,” added the PS.
She was speaking at the Machakos GK Prison during the monthly tree planting Greening Kenya exercise, where she together with other prison officials planted trees at the Machakos prison and Probation office which overtime have amounted to 1500 trees and disclosed that they are expecting 50,000 trees in all correctional facilities across the country.
“We anticipate planting in excess of 50,000 trees that correctional services have planted across the country in compliance with greening Kenya by 2032,” added the PS.
Muhia acknowledged the efforts of convicts at the correctional facilities who have been taught farming as part of their vocational training by watering and taking care of the trees which has helped in promoting environmental sustainability and achieving the presidential directive of planting 15 Billion trees by 2032.
She also commended the support from County governments and other well-wishers in constructions of boreholes that supplement during rain shortages and help take care of the trees around the prisons and probation offices across the country.
The PS further noted they did an inspection of the Machakos probation offices and the prison so as to assess the ongoing initiatives and do a needs assessment so as to ensure there is effective rehabilitation and reducing recidivism.
By Anne Kangero
