Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has urged the State Department for Correctional Services to accelerate the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies to improve efficiency, service delivery and rehabilitation programmes in correctional institutions.
Speaking on Tuesday during the official opening of the 4th Correctional Service Week in Nairobi, Kindiki said digital technologies could strengthen operational planning, improve resource allocation and help identify gaps in service delivery.
“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,” the Deputy President said.
However, Kindiki cautioned that technological advancement in correctional facilities must be guided by legal safeguards, ethical standards and respect for human rights.
He said innovation must protect personal information, prevent discrimination and safeguard the dignity and welfare of people under correctional supervision.
“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 stated.
The Deputy President called on the State Department for Correctional Services to align its digital transformation initiatives with the National Digital Master Plan 2022–2032, the National E-Commerce Strategy 2023 and the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2025–2030, alongside relevant cybersecurity and data-protection frameworks.
Kindiki also emphasised the need to integrate technology with rehabilitation programmes, including education, vocational training, psychosocial support, restorative justice, family participation and community-based alternatives to imprisonment.
“Our correctional institutions must therefore become not only centres of rehabilitation, but also platforms for skills development, innovation and sustainable production,” he said.
The Deputy President further called for the adoption of environmentally friendly solutions in correctional facilities, in line with this year’s Correctional Service Week theme, ‘Transforming Correctional Services through Technology and Green Solutions’.
He urged correctional institutions to embrace renewable energy, water harvesting and conservation, efficient waste management, climate-smart agriculture, tree growing and environmentally responsible infrastructure.
“I urge you to develop productive farms, strengthen irrigation and agricultural mechanization, promote appropriate waste-recycling initiatives and expand the use of clean energy,” Kindiki added.
He said combining digital innovation with sustainable practices would help modernise correctional services while strengthening rehabilitation, skills development and productive activities within institutions.
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