Prisons call for virtual prosecution of remandees amidst rising COVID cases

LAIKIPIA, Kenya, Nov, 20 – Laikipia County Commissioner Daniel Nyamiti has called for the virtual prosecution of remandees as a measure to minimize physical contact, as the county’s COVID numbers continued to soar.

Speaking at Nyahururu’s Thompson’s Falls Prison during the handing over of the prison from Nyandarua County to Laikipia County, Rift Valley Region Prison’s Commander, Aggrey Onyango, regretted that cases of infection at the prisons were on the rise.

This was regrettably attributed to jurisdiction challenges that hampered the testing and treatment of inmates.

Onyango said that, “the government bureaucracy demanded the inmates be administered from Nyandarua County despite the prison being physically in Laikipia County, the transfer was necessitated by the need for speedy and timely decision making for ease of service delivery.”

Despite the procurement of digital equipment by both the courts and prison service, the equipment was not yet being used.

Nyandarua county Commissioner Benson Leparmorijo, who did not object to the transfer of the facility to Laikipia County, urged officers handling inmates to be patient with each other as strict and long COVID 19 protocols demanded prisoners and remandees to be tested and cleared for Coronavirus.

Leparmorijo called on the Commissioner of Prisons to lobby for the construction of a Prison facility in Ol Kalau, to serve Nyandarua County, arguing that Nyandarua had lost most of its Nyahururu town infrastructure to Laikipia despite billions invested in, since independence.

Plans are meanwhile underway to have the prisons facility’s name changed from Thompsons Falls to Nyahururu G.K prison.

A source close to the prison disclosed that about eight prison wardens had been isolated after they tested positive for theCoronavirus, with most of the female prisoners said to be infected and under isolation at the facility.