9 in 10 convicts in 2025 were men — report

About 9 in 10 persons committed to prison in 2025 were males, the 2026 Economic Survey report shows, highlighting the dominance of men in crime.

According to the statistics, a total of 48,027 were committed to prison for various offences, of which men accounted for 42,563 against 5,464 women.

Overall, the total number of persons committed to prison declined by 9.1 per cent to 189,998 in 2025, while the convicted prison population declined by 21.5 per cent to 48,027, with 77.0 per cent serving sentences of less than 2 years.

The KNBS data shows that the total number of prisoners on death sentences increased from 93 in 2024 to 150 in 2025. Of the unconvicted prisoners, those committed to remand accounted for 99.2 per cent.

“The number of prisoners previously convicted increased by 15.4 per cent to 8,207 in 2025. About 9 in 10 persons committed to prison in 2025 were males,” it states.

The daily average prison population increased by 2.9 per cent to 60,740 in 2025. The daily average population of convicted inmates decreased by 0.8 per cent to 36,278, while that of unconvicted prisoners increased by 9.0 per cent to 24,462 in 2025.

Overall, the daily average population of male prisoners increased by 6.3 per cent to 57,846, whereas that of females decreased by 37.0 per cent to 2,894 in the review period.

The prisoner turnover rate, which reflects how often the prison population is replaced within a year, dropped from 3.5 in 2024 to 3.1 in 2025.

“This decline indicates reduced admissions and releases or longer average stays, pointing to a modest stabilisation of the prison population,” the report observes.

However, in a worrying trend, the number of convicted child prisoners (under 18) more than doubled, rising from 535 in 2024 to 1,123 in 2025.

The total number of children committed to prison decreased by 37.5 per cent to 334 in 2025, with boys accounting for 97.0 per cent.

Among boys, one in every three (33.6%) were committed to prison due to offences related to general stealing, followed by sexual offences at 25.9 per cent. For girls, the majority were committed to prison for general stealing at 60.0 per cent in 2025.

In contrast, the adult prison population (18 years and above) dropped by 22.7 per cent to 46,904 in 2025. Among females aged under 18, convictions increased tenfold while other adult female age groups declined.

Similarly, convictions among males aged under 18 rose by 88.1 per cent while the adult male population declined in 2025.

In 2025, 163 people aged 16 and below were jailed, with boys accounting for 155 against 6 girls, while teens of 16-17 years had 960 of them in prison; 825 boys and 135 girls.

In the age of 18-20 category, 6,743 were jailed, of which 6,281 were male against 462 females, as data indicates that over 50 years accounted for just 4,043 prisoners; 3,495 male and 548.

Persons serving sentences relating to employment offences decreased by 58.8 per cent to 306, while those serving sentences relating to liquor declined by 29.4 per cent to 9,764 in 2025.

Those convicted of offences against persons and offences that are injurious to the public decreased by 22.1 per cent and 37.0 per cent, respectively.

Persons convicted of offences against liquor offences accounted for the highest proportion of convicted inmates at 20.3 per cent, followed by those convicted of offences relating to property and order and administration of lawful authority at 17.3 per cent and 15.6 per cent respectively.

The number of convicted foreign nationals rose by 6.4 per cent to 1,137 in 2025, with males accounting for 90.5 per cent.

The majority of the convicted foreign nationals were convicted for unlawful presence in Kenya at 44.8 per cent. Female foreign nationals were most often convicted of drug-related offences at 26.9 per cent.