Meru — Correctional Services Principal Secretary Salome Beacco has announced that the government will place all inmates under the Social Health Authority (SHA) by the end of the year in a bid to curb the spread of disease in correctional facilities.

Beacco noted that sexual offenders account for nearly 40 per cent of the prison population hence the need for urgent action.

Speaking in Meru on Sunday, Beacco said the high number of inmates jailed for sexual offences has fueled overcrowding and created health challenges within the prison system.

"Almost 40 percent of the problems I have are due to sexual offences - rape, sodomy, gender-based violence," she said, adding that Meru alone hosts nearly 1,000 such offenders.

"My prisons are overcrowded, overfilled, and this brings other problems."

The PS warned that the congestion and high concentration of offenders has worsened the spread of communicable diseases such as gonorrhea, syphilis, and HIV, while straining already limited medical resources.

"The highest prevalence of HIV incidences is here in Meru. I don't have money for medicines," she said.

She added that enrolling inmates on SHA would ensure continuous access to treatment and improve disease management across facilities.