29 GRADUANDS CONFERRED WITH LAW DEGREES IN COLOURFUL CEREMONY

By Nicholas Kigondu

Twenty-nine graduands including eleven serving inmates were Tuesday conferred with degrees in law from the University of London in a ceremony of a kind held at the Kamiti Maximum prison.

Presiding over the ceremony, that also saw 12 prison officers, four ex-inmates and two ex- prison officers graduate, Correctional Services Principal Secretary Dr. Salome Beacco said the development was a testament of the correctional system’s remarkable transformation as the government shifts focus from punitive measures to rehabilitation.

She said the State Department for Correctional Services is working in collaboration with stakeholders to boost the capacity of inmates through formal and vocational training in an effort to ensure they are reintegrated into society as productive and responsible citizens. This she said was part of ongoing reforms aimed at turning correctional institutions into places of rehabilitation and skill development to enhance the prospects of those being rehabilitated to gain meaningful employment upon release.

“You are all role models. Let us reject small mindedness and work on our visions,” she urged the granduands.

According to the PS, plans are underway to roll out the one of its kind programme spearheaded by justice defenders organisation, across all commonwealth members.

Parliamentary affairs Principal Secretary Aurelia Rono says the feat by the 29 granduands was testament to a committed and resilient people amidst a myriad of challenges.

Speaking at the ceremony, Patricia McKellar, Dean of Undergraduate Laws at the University of London said that by pursuing legal studies, the inmates are not only improving their own lives but also gaining the tools to potentially advocate for themselves and others within the justice system.

Justice Kanyi Kimondo says the programme has not only inspired a generation but has also demonstrated the human spirit manifested in social transformation through access to justice.

According to Commissioner General of Prisons Patrick Aranduh, the programme by the justice defenders organisation has had a profound impact on beneficiaries.