The Chief Magistrate in Kikuyu on Monday launched an initiative that will see petty offenders clean urban centres within Kikuyu Sub-County in an effort to reduce prison congestion.
James Ogweno who spoke to this reporter on Monday said that petty offenders such as drunkards, loiterers and others will from Monday be given duties to clean the town for a day.
He also said that cases of petty offenders have been in the rise for the past few months and most of these offenders fail to raise fines and end up being locked up.
He said that instead of jailing such offenders, it would be reasonable to give them duties in cleaning up the town and also cleaning government offices and compounds in Kikuyu.
"Seventy percent of petty offenders who are charged end up being locked up for a month or two for lacking to pay fines which do not exceed Sh10,000," he said.
He says this will help in reducing the number of offenders in jail and contribute to tackling congestion. He also expressed concern that mixing petty offenders with other inmates convicted of more serious crimes is detrimental to their behaviour.
"Petty offenders will from today be cleaning the town and other duties in offices and compounds of the government in an effort to reduce congestion in prisons," he said.
"We also are doing this to ensure they are not influenced into crime when they interact with inmates serving sentences for serious crimes," he added.