Kindiki Urges Prisons to Adopt AI, Green Technology



By Fride Amiani 

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has urged the State Department for Correctional Services to accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and other modern technologies to improve efficiency, rehabilitation and service delivery in prisons.

Kindiki said AI, data analytics and secure digital communication could strengthen operational planning, identify service delivery gaps and improve the allocation of scarce resources across correctional facilities.

“Artificial intelligence, data analytics, secure digital communication and other emerging technologies offer significant opportunities to improve operational planning, identify service delivery gaps, support rehabilitation programmes and deploy limited resources more effectively,” he said.

He spoke on Tuesday in Nairobi while officially opening the fourth Correctional Service Week, held under the theme, “Transforming Correctional Services through Technology and Green Solutions.”

Kindiki cautioned, however, that technological advancement must not come at the expense of inmates’ dignity, privacy or welfare.

“These technologies must be adopted responsibly. Innovation within correctional institutions must uphold human dignity, protect personal information, guard against discrimination and preserve the rights and welfare of people under correctional supervision,” he said.

He urged the department to align its digital initiatives with the National Digital Master Plan 2022–2032, the National E-Commerce Strategy 2023 and the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2025–2030, alongside applicable cybersecurity and data-protection frameworks.

The Deputy President said modernisation should go beyond improving prison administration to strengthen rehabilitation and prepare inmates for successful reintegration into society.

He called for greater investment in education, vocational training, psychosocial support, restorative justice and family participation, as well as expanded use of community-based alternatives to imprisonment where appropriate.

“Our correctional institutions must therefore become not only centres of rehabilitation, but also platforms for skills development, innovation and sustainable production,” he said.

Kindiki said equipping inmates with practical skills would improve their prospects of securing employment and contributing to their communities after release, while supporting broader efforts to reduce reoffending.

He also urged correctional facilities to adopt environmentally sustainable practices, including renewable energy, water harvesting, efficient waste management, climate-smart agriculture and tree growing.

“I urge you to develop productive farms, strengthen irrigation and agricultural mechanization, promote appropriate waste-recycling initiatives and expand the use of clean energy,” he said.

The Deputy President said such measures could improve resource efficiency while creating opportunities for inmates to gain practical skills through agricultural production and other sustainable activities.

Principal Secretary for Correctional Services Dr Salome Beacco reaffirmed the department’s commitment to transforming correctional institutions, restoring dignity, rehabilitating offenders and facilitating their reintegration into society.

She said achieving these objectives required stronger coordination among government institutions and collaboration with other stakeholders.

“At the core of our mandate is the responsibility to promote a just and secure society through effective offender management and the administration of justice, guided by our pursuit of excellence in correctional services,” Beacco said.

Kenya’s Special Envoy for Climate Change in the Executive Office of the President, Ambassador Ali Mohammed, said technology and sustainability could transform correctional operations, improve rehabilitation and better prepare inmates for life beyond custody.

He noted that the growing effects of climate change made sustainable approaches increasingly urgent, calling for measures to strengthen institutional resilience and environmental responsibility.

The event brought together the government’s digital transformation and environmental priorities, with Kindiki emphasising that innovation must remain grounded in the law and respect for human rights.

The proposed reforms seek to improve the efficiency of correctional services while positioning prisons as centres of rehabilitation, skills development and sustainable production.

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