By Okong’o Oduya
Inmates at Korinda Maximum prison in Busia County had a reason to smile during the Mashujaa day celebrations when Mrs. Zilper Bett a business woman and a leader visited them p with a pack of goodies.
According to her she was moved in a manner the imamates had been forgotten especially during such important day in the nation. She says the fact that they are prisoners they should not enjoy the privileges other member of the public enjoy including public celebrations.
“We are celebrating outside there yet these men and women are here forgotten. The fact that they are prisoners does not deny them the chance to enjoy and celebrate public holiday especially Mashujaa day like any other citizen. I have come here to show them that they are too loved no matter where they are,” she said
Mrs. Bett took four cartons of bar soaps, four bells of tissue papers and four cartons of sanitary towels amounting to 20, 000 ksh as her token of appreciation to the day. She said that the inmates should not be victimized forever for being in the prison. She urged the national government, NGOs and any other well-wishers to come in and contribute other necessities such as blankets, mattresses, beds and baby coats this will reduce the pressures facing the institutions due to overstretched facilities in the prison caused by the ever increasing number of prisoners.
She urged the community not to sideline and discriminate the inmates once released to the public adding that by doing so will pile pressure resulting them to commit crime to go back to the prison again. She added that there is need for the society to work closely with prison department to carry out a smooth integration process to the ex-prisoners back to the community.
Mukusu Thomas ,officer in charge of the prison and senior inspector appreciated the contributions and urged other well – wishers to come and help meet the rising demand of basic goods in the prison. He noted that as prison department they are trying what they can to rehabilitate the inmates through formal and vocational education given to the prisoners to make them better people once they go back to the community.
“We try to rehabilitate these men and women as government and prison departments through training and then awarded with certificates that when they go out there they can have something else to do to avoid a situation of them committing crime again. We also wish to call upon other well-wishers to come in and help us meet some requirements needed here,” Said Mukusu.
