Kenya frees 4,800 prisoners to decongest prisons
The National Council on the Administration of Justice (NCAJ) has resolved to release 4800 prisoners who are serving time for petty offences.
In a statement, Chief Justice David Maraga said the High Court released the inmates who were categorised as petty offenders and were serving jail terms of less than six months after the review of their files.
The move is aimed at decongesting Kenyan prisons in light of the coronavirus outbreak in the country.
In the statement, NCAJ also noted that new prisoners are being isolated for the requisite 14 days.
“New inmates are being isolated to reduce the risk of infection and movement of inmates has been highly restricted,” he said.
Petty offenders will also be released on bond and not held in custody to avoid the spread of the coronavirus, NCAJ said.
The council also gave a reprieve to those who have not paid their debts. It directed that all execution of warrants of arrest, court decrees, and orders made before March 15, 2020, be suspended until further notice.
“The Police, Court Bailiffs, and Auctioneers are, in the circumstances, instructed not to execute warrants, orders or decree issued before March 15, 2020,” the CJ said.
The Chief Justice reiterated that the ban on prison visits was still imposed with prison labour also “reduced to a bare minimum.”
State Department for Correctional Services Principal Secretary Zeinab had also banned visits to prison lines, Borstal institutions, and youth corrective training centres across the country.
Kenya has recorded three fatalities and 110 confirmed cases of Covid-19 by April 2, 2020, while three patients have since been discharged from hospital after fully recovering from Covid-19.