Philip Mwakio
21 May 2005
Nairobi — Vice-President Moody Awori yesterday said many inmates were imprisoned wrongly.
Speaking while officiating at the closing ceremony of a governance, law and order sector workshop at the Sun N' Sand Beach Hotel in Kilifi, Awori said this was the reason why prisons were overcrowded.
Awori said the country's prisons were built to accommodate only 17,000 prisoners but the number stood at over 50,000.
"Out of this, in reality, there could only be 9,000 who are properly convicted," he said.
The V-P said the prisons should be decongested as a first measure. He said the best way to achieve this would be to ensure magistrates were sensitised on the need to make full use of the Community Service Order where petty offenders serve their terms outside prison.
Awori supported the inclusion of qualified lawyers as prosecutors in capital offence cases. He said reforms in the Judiciary should ensure that outdated laws were abolished.
He gave the example of the vagrancy and loitering crime, which he said should be expunged from the law books.
"How can one be charged in court with this offence yet he or she is a Kenyan?" he asked. Its main goal is to contribute to the quality of life of people in the country, particularly the poor and the vulnerable.
Ms Annika Nordin Jayawardena from the Embassy of Sweden said her country would continue sponsoring the event.
Others involved are the US, European Union , Norway, Canada, Denmark, Finland, UN through UNDP, Unicef , UN-Habitat. The chairman of the Kenya Human Rights Commission, Maina Kiai and Attorney-General Amos Wako attended the workshop.
Later, Kiai said the A-G's powers need to be made accountable.
"He enjoys security of tenure and should thus make decisions that are all binding in his work," he said.
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