Murkomen calls for expansion of community corrections to ease prison congestion

Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration, Kipchumba Murkomen, Tuesday called for accelerated reforms across Africa to expand community corrections as a sustainable alternative to incarceration, citing prison congestion as a major threat to justice systems on the continent.

Speaking at the opening of the Advancing Community Corrections in Africa as an Alternative to Incarceration Conference, Murkomen said overcrowded prisons continue to strain public resources, undermine rehabilitation efforts, and challenge human rights protections.

“Across Africa, prison congestion continues to cripple our justice systems. Many correctional facilities are operating far beyond their intended capacity, placing immense pressure on infrastructure, finances, and rehabilitation programmes,” he said.

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Murkomen noted that Kenya’s 135 correctional institutions currently hold more than 60,000 individuals, many of whom remain in pre-trial detention for extended periods.

The facilities, he said, were designed to accommodate far fewer inmates.

However, he emphasized that Kenya has made significant progress in shifting toward non-custodial measures.

“Today, we supervise over 61,000 offenders within community-based correctional frameworks. This demonstrates that when alternatives to imprisonment are properly structured and supported, they can effectively deliver justice while protecting public safety,” Murkomen said.

He said Kenyan courts refer more than 42,000 cases annually for bail and social inquiry assessments, while approximately 10,000 custodial sentences are commuted each year to community service.

He added that plea bargaining, mediation, and diversion programmes have achieved compliance rates of about 97 percent — outcomes he described as indicators of growing public trust in non-custodial sentencing.

Murkomen credited the State Department for Correctional Services and the Probation and Aftercare Service for spearheading reintegration efforts aimed at equipping offenders with skills, employment opportunities, and support systems to reduce repeat offending.

The CS said Kenya’s reforms are aligned with international and regional frameworks, including the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for Non-Custodial Measures and the Kampala Declaration on Prison Conditions in Africa.

Through collaboration under the National Council on the Administration of Justice, Kenya has adopted a coordinated, evidence-based, and rights-centered approach to criminal justice reform, he said.

Murkomen urged African nations to scale up mediation, diversion, restorative justice, and pre-trial services to ensure detention is used only where absolutely necessary.

He also emphasized the need to strengthen probation services by recruiting and training more professionals, investing in digital case management systems, and leveraging data analytics to improve decision-making.

“We are living in a digital era where justice systems must be driven by reliable data and real-time insights. Technology can enhance transparency, accountability, and service delivery within the criminal justice sector,” he said.

The CS challenged delegates to move beyond dialogue and commit to actionable, measurable reforms that will reduce congestion, uphold human dignity, enhance public safety, and promote sustainable development.

“Our vision must be clear — a justice system that recognizes that true justice is not only about punishment, but about restoration, reintegration, and transformation,” Murkomen said as he officially opened the conference.