NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 13 – Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has called on 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.
Kindiki said digital technologies, including data analytics and secure digital communication, could help correctional facilities improve operational planning, identify service delivery gaps and optimise the use of limited resources.
“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,” he said.
The Deputy President spoke on Tuesday when he officially opened the fourth Correctional Service Week in Nairobi, calling for innovation that is guided by the law, protects human dignity and respects the rights of people under correctional supervision.
He cautioned against the irresponsible use of technology, saying digital transformation in correctional institutions must be accompanied by safeguards to protect personal information and prevent discrimination.
“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 said.
Kindiki urged the State Department to align its digital transformation initiatives with existing national policy frameworks, including the National Digital Master Plan 2022–2032, the National E-Commerce Strategy 2023 and the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2025–2030.
He said such alignment would help ensure that technological advancement in correctional services is consistent with national priorities, cybersecurity requirements and data-protection standards.
The Deputy President also challenged the department to complement technological investments with expanded rehabilitation and reintegration programmes, including education, vocational training, psychosocial support, restorative justice, family participation and community-based alternatives to imprisonment.
He said correctional institutions should go beyond confinement to equip inmates with practical skills and opportunities that would support their reintegration into society after release.
“Our correctional institutions must therefore become not only centres of rehabilitation, but also platforms for skills development, innovation and sustainable production,” he said.
Kindiki further called for the adoption of environmentally sustainable practices in correctional facilities, in line with this year’s Correctional Service Week theme, ‘Transforming Correctional Services through Technology and Green Solutions’.
He urged the department to integrate climate-friendly approaches into its operations, including 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 mechanisation, promote appropriate waste-recycling initiatives and expand the use of clean energy,” he said.
He said combining technological innovation with green solutions would help correctional institutions improve productivity, manage resources more efficiently and strengthen their contribution to rehabilitation and sustainable development.