One of the biggest cohorts of prisoners who went back to school will graduate with law degrees next month.
The Department of Correctional Services said 56 prisoners and a few prison officers will graduate with law degrees from the University of London.
The 56 took advantage of scholarships offered by the Justice Defenders, a UK and US registered NGO, which has partnered with the University of London to offer degree courses by distance learning in Kenya and Uganda.
Justice Defenders provided the necessary academic and administrative assistance.
“On 26th November 2024, we will celebrate a major milestone as 56 inmates and prison officers graduate with a degree in law, courtesy of the University of London,” said Salome Beacco, Correctional Services PS.
“This achievement highlights our strategy of employing higher education as a rehabilitation pathway.”
Beacco spoke in Nairobi during the correctional service week. Among the most popular graduates of the programme is former South African President Nelson Mandela, who studied in prison.
The programme’s graduates in many cases, assist other inmates with their cases, often making submissions to the court on their behalf.
Education lead Brenda Ambani said the programme began in 2013.
“At the beginning of each semester, we sit down as a team with the prison service. We work out the timetables so that everybody is aware,” she said in a writeup shared by Justice Defenders
. “Of course, we have to abide by the prison rules, for example only meeting in the morning and then between 2pm and 4pm. We work closely with the prison officers who help facilitate the movement of people for the classes.”
The University of London law degree is the same as that taken by students across the world.
Kenyan students must have a cumulative mean grade of a C+ in KCSE and a B in English or Kiswahili. This year’s theme for the correction week is “Mental Health Wellness for Effective Service Delivery”.
Beacco said the corrections service teaches inmates a range of critical issues, including financial management, emotional intelligence, mental, spiritual and physical wellness through workshops, training sessions and community outreach programmes.
“We have also placed a strong emphasis on holistic wellness — covering mental, spiritual, and physical health,” she said. Correctional officers and staff face unique challenges in managing the emotional strain and stresses of their work.”
She said correctional officers
face unique stressors and if left unattended, professionalism may be
compromised