Leaky roofs: Audit now exposes sorry state of prisons

Details  have emerged of the sorry state of prison facilities with inmates exposed to harsh weather over leaky roofs. A new report has exposed the dilapidation in four major prisons even as renovation works in others have stalled.

A review by Auditor General Nancy Gathungu spotted the problem at Kitengela Main, Nairobi Remand, Thika Main and Kwale Main prisons.

At Nairobi Remand, the roof of the prison wards was leaking with water seeping through to the floor. Auditors established that the roofing sheets were old and rusty, exposing the inmates to the harsh vagaries of weather.

This was besides the limited number of CCTV cameras in place to monitor activities and movement in the prison. At Kitengela, inmates are at the risk of food poisoning following a leakage at the main and food ration stores.

The ceiling boards in the store had fallen off due to leakage and the facility had worn out floors due to lack of repairs and maintenance.

“There is a possibility of contamination of the stored food items due to contact with rainwater from the leaking roof,” the report reads.

A gaping hole which followed a partial roof collapse at the mixed block of the Kwale Main Prison, was yet to be fixed at the time of the audit.

The roof collapsed in November 2021, begging the question why it has taken the Correctional Services department this long to fix it.

Thika Main Prison also suffered from a leaking roof besides the cramped and poorly ventilated office spaces.

Albeit not affecting prisoners directly, the dilapidation was also flagged at the Prisons Staff Training College. The store buildings at PSTC were in a state of disrepair, with cracked floors, broken pavements and worn out surfaces due to heavy foot traffic.

Auditors established that most premises at the college were inadequately maintained, putting the managers on the spot.

In what could make the matters worse, no funds were allocated for maintenance of buildings in the June 30, 2024 spending year.

“In the circumstances, the existing conditions may significantly hinder the effective delivery of correctional services to the public,” Gathungu said.

As the situation persists, auditors established that works to the tune of Sh570 million to correct some of the defects have stalled.

Taxpayers stare at losing more than Sh228 million that has been paid for the works with no significant progress reported so far.