Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki has said the ministry is working to develop a framework that will guide how prison officers are promoted in ranks within the service.
He spoke on Thursday when he appeared before the National Cohesion and Equal Opportunity Committee in Parliament.
"The Government is developing a concrete roadmap and matrix to streamline career progression and succession management in the Kenya Prisons Service and other uniformed security agencies," the CS said.
Kindiki said the roadmap will provide an opportunity for younger officers to rise and hold management positions through a clearly defined procedure.
The CS said the roadmap will also eliminate cases of corruption, favouritism, and patronage in the hiring of officers in the ministry.
He noted that the current number of uniformed officers at Kenya Prison Service is as follows; Male officers are 23,878, and Female officers are 7,349.
"In total, the Service has 31,227 officers," Kindiki said.
He said the Kenya Prisons Service staff represent the diversity of the people of Kenya, and there is no discrimination in employment.
"No ethnic community represents more than one-third of the uniformed staff population," Kindiki said.
In furthering equity in the recruitment of Prison officers, the CS said the State Department for Correctional Services will continue to sensitise communities across the country to apply for positions whenever they are advertised and participate in the recruitment of officers at the Sub-County level.
He called on Kenyans to provide information on officers who demand and or receive bribes for immediate action in accordance with the law.
"Corruption is a vice that must be dealt with firmly, decisively and ruthlessly," the CS said.
Before the Parliamentary Committee, Kindiki acknowledged there was a fault in the hiring process of senior-ranking prison officers.
He said the fault ought to be corrected to ensure only prison officers can rise to take up the topmost position in the service.
At the moment, the service is headed by an ‘outsider’ something the CS said was unfair as it kills the morale of the officers who have aspired to be considered.
“We have been unable to ensure we professionalise the prison service and make it at par such that its leadership is drawn from within and it is almost predetermined that an officer can rise and get to the position,” he said.
He noted that they have had a discussion with current commissioner general John Warioba, a retired military officer, who he said shares a similar view.
Kindiki was accompanied by Principal Secretary, of Correctional Services Salome Muhia-Beacco and Commissioner General, of Kenya Prisons Service John Warioba.