Cattle farming and 25 other prison enterprise programs availed to Jowie Irungu
The High Court has handed Mr Joseph ‘Jowie’ Irungu a life sentence for the murder of businesswoman Monica Kimani in September 2018.
According to the Constitution of Kenya, murder is defined as causing the death of a person with malice afterthought, through an unlawful act or omission.
The law states that a person found guilty of murder is ordinarily sentenced to life in prison- that is until their death and not by execution.
As Jowie prepares to embark on imprisonment at a maximum prison, Nairobi News explores the life that awaits him beyond prison walls. As a prisoner, he will be part of the Prisons Enterprise programs, a department that handles rehabilitation and reformation of prisoners.
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According to the Kenya Prisons official website, the Prison Enterprises were introduced in Kenya by the British colonial government in 1927 with the specific mandate of establishing industrial, technical, and agricultural training programs for prisoners to eventually provide vocational and agricultural training to prisoners and generate Appropriation in Aid (A-in-A).
“There has been a paradigm shift from just confinement and punishment of prisoner to rehabilitation and reformation of prisoners so that they can easily be reintegrated back to the society upon completion of their sentences,” read part of the literature on the website.
There are 108 industrial stations across Kenya and the Prisons offer various programs to inmates. These programs- which will be availed to Jowie upon entry- include:
- Carpentry
- Tailoring
- Fashion and design
- Fiber decoration
- Crocheting
- Masonry
- Metalwork/Welding
- Mechanic
- Pottery
- Baking
- Weaving
- Printing/Bookbinding
- Screen printing and sign writing
- Car number plate manufacturing
- Leatherwork
- Hairdressing
- Detergents making
- Yoghurts and juice-making
- Water distillation plant- Priaqua
- Cattle rearing
- Fish farming
- Cash crop farming
- Rabbit farming
- Horticultural farming
- Poultry farming
- Pig rearing
Prison industries operate under the Prison Industries Revolving Fund that was established under the Exchequer and Audit Act CAP 412, Legal Notice 314 of 1988, and Legal Notice number 87 of 1993. Their initial capital was Sh 14 million and for Prison Farms Revolving Fund was Sh 4.2 million.
The Prison Enterprise department participates in international and national shows and exhibitions across the country and abroad where they also market manufactured items to earn revenue for the government. Additionally, the department establishes showrooms for the sale of manufactured items.
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