Following the ongoing standoff between inmates and the Kenya Prisons' Department over monthly pay, it can now be revealed that the former are paid as low as 20 cents a day.
According to the Daily Nation, inmates get a monthly pay of Ksh 6, a figure that can is deemed to be too low. In the ongoing petition that is before the courts, the inmates want the government to increase the daily wage with prompt payment.
However, the Prisons Department through its commissioner general rubbished the demands stating that the commissioner of prisons does not have any constitutional powers to revise what inmates earn.
“As it is, prisons earning rates are a provision of the law and the commissioner does not have the mandate to amend, revise or vary the scheme as provided,” said commissioner-general of prisons as quoted by the Daily Nation.
The prisons' boss further revealed that inmates are not employed by virtue of being behind the bars and therefore, no remuneration is expected as per their demands. He also maintained that all prisoners are expected under the Kenyan law to offer labor as part of their rehabilitation process.
“The objective of prison labor is to equip convicted prisoners with relevant skills and knowledge through training to enable them to reintegrate well into society upon release,” added the commissioner.