Kisii County Probation Director, Oribo Kinyosi has blamed congestion in prisons on failure by communities to make use of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.
Speaking in his office on Tuesday, Kinyosi challenged communities from the Kisii region to exploit the window of seeking justice through alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.
He said residents can engage elders and religious leaders to find solutions to their disputes as part of the efforts to assist the government to decongest the correctional facilities.
Kinyosi said the capacity of the Kisii GK Prison had been overstretched due to increasing cases of petty offenders whose cases are supposed to be handled at village levels instead of taking them to the courts.
Kinyosi encouraged community members in the region to engage in alternative dispute resolution avenues, instead of rushing to the courts to seek justice which they can find it through engaging elders and religious leaders in their communities.
"I am encouraging our people to live as brothers and sisters and whenever they have issues, let them try to solve such issues at personal levels and if they fail to find a solution, they can involve elders and church leaders to find solutions instead of taking petty issues to court," said Kinyosi.