Two Communities Dominate The Number Of Prison Officers; Report.

 A recent report presented to a parliamentary committee by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kindiki Kithure has unveiled that the Kenya Prisons Service (KPS) has a significant number of uniformed officers from the Kalenjin and Kikuyu ethnic groups. Specifically, the report reveals that Kalenjin and Kikuyu communities comprise the largest portion, with 5,723 and 5,335 officers, respectively. The Kamba and Luhya communities closely follow, with 3,278 and 2,891 officers, respectively.

Kenya prison warders best musicians entertaining the president
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In total, there are 31,227 officers in the KPS, with 23,878 of them being male officers and 7,359 being female officers. The Kisii community has 2,536 officers, while the Luo community has 2,684 officers. In contrast, some ethnic groups are underrepresented, including the Rendile (62), Orma (75), Taveta (39), and Dorobo (27), among others. The Elmolo community has 3 officers, Kenya Europeans have 1 officer, and Kenya Arabs also have 1 officer in the service.

The distribution of officers by rank reveals that junior officers, ranging from constables to senior sergeants, make up the majority with 28,955 officers. In the middle level, from inspector to chief inspector, there are 1,673 officers. Those who have achieved the ranks from superintendent to Commissioner General amount to 599.

The report also highlights historical data, indicating that as of August 2010, there were 20,847 officers, with the Kalenjin community having the largest representation at 4,184, followed by the Kikuyu with 3,676. The Luhya community ranked third with 2,097, followed by the Luo (1,709), Kisii (1,438), and Meru (1,163).

The report further discloses that in the last three recruitment cycles in 2019, 2020, and 2022, a total of 7,161 officers were enlisted, with the most populous communities receiving the highest number of opportunities.

During the committee session, Kindiki discussed the gender, ethnicity, age, and compliance with the Constitution regarding the allocation of 30 percent of procurement opportunities to persons with disabilities under the Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO) program within the prison service.

Mandera West MP Aden Haji Yussuf, who chairs the committee, defended the job opportunity imbalances and pledged to review inclusivity, not only in the prison service but also in the police service during future recruitments.

In response to member inquiries, CS Kindiki emphasized the importance of not marginalizing larger communities and expressed a commitment to ensuring that both populous communities and minority groups receive fair representation.

Regarding corruption in recruitment, Kindiki acknowledged the challenges and pledged to enhance anti-corruption efforts. He also encouraged the public to provide information to help combat corruption.

Finally, regarding the 30 percent procurement allocation, Kindiki cited budgetary constraints, undue influence in the procurement process, and non-performance of awarded tenders as challenges. He proposed increased allocation to the institution, stricter due diligence on applicants, and customer sensitization for bidders falling under the AGPO category to address these issues.