CORRECTIONAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT SET TO BENEFIT FROM PLEAD 11 PROGRAMME
By Nicholas Kigondu
Chief Justice Martha Koome has committed to sustain gains recorded by the Programme for Legal Empowerment and Aid Delivery, an initiative of the European Union implemented through the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, focusing on enhanced access to legal aid and assistance, especially among the vulnerable.
Speaking during Programme for Legal Empowerment and Aid Delivery year 4 workplan review that brought together members of the National Council on the Administration of Justice and implementing partners, the Chief Justice committed to ensure sustainability of the last phase of the programme.
She said the programme has been instrumental in the country’s justice sector reforms that have witnessed strengthening of the administration of justice, expanded access to justice for vulnerable populations and promoted alternatives to imprisonment.
“PLEAD 11 will not die, it will take another life. The programme has been impactful to the people,” she observed.
European Union Ambassador Henriette Geiger said it was important to ensure that investments made are sustained in driving justice sector reform agenda adding that it is the most sensitive and at the heart of governance.
While applauding the European Union and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime for their support, Correctional Services Principal Secretary Dr. Salome Beacco said some of the projects initiated in the department including on solarization have been impactful resulting in reduced energy costs while at the same time enhancing access to justice by supporting virtual court proceedings.
According to UN Resident Coordinator Dr. Garry Conille, the PLEAD programme has been integral in the justice system by ensuring the institutionalization of governance and social resilience leading to the restoration of dignity.
The PELAD programme has been instrumental in supporting several key actors in Kenya's justice system, including the Department of Justice, the Judiciary, the National Council on the Administration of Justice, the State Department for Correctional Services, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution, and the Witness Protection Agency.