Muchemi Wachira
26 April 2008
Nairobi — Prison warders have numerous grievances which the authorities have been reluctant to address.
On Friday, Saturday Nation talked to warders from different prisons who confirmed that the Government's failure to pay them a risk allowance was just part of a myriad problems they have been facing in the last few years.
However, the warders cannot be named since disclosing information about their work place is prohibited.
For a long time, warders have been complaining about poor housing and failure by the State to provide them with uniforms as it does for their colleagues in other disciplined forces.
Welfare
They have also been protesting against reforms introduced by former Vice President Moody Awori, which they say focused on the welfare of prisoners but ignored warders.
"But what has incensed us most is lack of communication from our bosses who only sit in their offices when we are suffering," a warder from one of the prisons in Nairobi said.
He gave an example of recent deductions from their salaries to fund construction of Magereza Academy.
The institution, owned by the prisons department, is supposed to be put up in Naivasha. It is expected to provide learning opportunities for children of prison staff.
But although the warders have been deducted money, construction has not started and the authorities have not informed them why.
"We were being deducted money for the construction depending on our ranks," the warder explained.
An ordinary warder was deducted Sh1,000 while a corporal paid Sh1,200. As the rank rises, an officer pays Sh200 more, with a superintendent being deducted Sh2,500.
"What we don't know is when this academy will be constructed or whether it is another swindle," the warder said.
There are reasons for the warders to suspect being swindled.
First, they did not receive an allowance of Sh10,000, paid to their counterparts in the regular and Administration police for their work during the post-election clashes.
"We thought the President had said that all those in the disciplined forces were to receive the money. We waited for it but there was no communication from our commissioner," a senior warder said.
There has also been uproar after they were deducted Sh100 each for their new job identity cards.
ID cards
"We thought that the ID cards are supposed to be given free of charge but no one has ever explained to us why we were charged Sh100," another warder said.
To top it all, the authorities directed them to buy jungle uniforms, only to retract the directive and order them to revert to their old uniform. No reason was given for the turnaround.
"Our uniforms were in tatters when we were asked to buy news ones and directed to the particular shop in Nairobi... The uniform that included a jacket, a shirt and trousers was costing Sh3,500," a warder said.
There has also been discontent among recent graduates from Ruiru Prisons Training College where all the warders are trained. One of the warders said while in college they were deducted a lot of money.
"Almost half of our salary was being deducted and we were told that the deductions went to meet the costs of buying kitchen utensils, our uniforms and sports kits," the warder who has worked for only a year lamented.
He says no one can dare to raise the question for fear of being sacked.
Due to the frustrations they encounter, the warders said they have been demoralised.
"This has even made us to be reluctant in our duties and that is why you hear prisoners escaping from jails every time," one warder said.
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