Medical staff working inside Kenya’s prisons have put lawmakers on the spot over what they describe as a silent but persistent pay injustice, saying they face daily health risks without the allowances granted to other government health workers.
The concerns were presented before the National Assembly Committee on Implementation of the Constitution (CIOC) during its oversight tour in the Nyanza region this week, where Chairperson Bernard Kitur led discussions with medical staff stationed in various prisons.
The medics said they continue to miss out on extraneous and risk allowances that are routinely paid to health workers in county hospitals and national referral facilities, even though their duties involve direct contact with inmates in restrictive and high-risk environments.
“Healthcare workers are not receiving the extraneous and risk allowances they deserve, despite the high risks they face while handling inmates in prison wards and cells. Meanwhile, colleagues in county and national government are receiving these allowances,” their representative told the committee.
They told the committee that the difference in treatment has created growing frustration, with prison health workers feeling left behind in a system where similar roles appear to attract different benefits depending on the workplace.
Some of the medics further pointed to what they see as a mismatch in how they are remunerated, saying their pay structure mirrors that of police officers rather than being fully aligned with the Ministry of Health framework.
They argued that this arrangement could reflect deeper structural challenges within the prisons health system, including concerns over how funds are allocated and managed across the service.
At the same time, the healthcare workers raised alarm over daily operational struggles that continue to affect service delivery inside correctional facilities. They cited shortages of essential medical equipment, irregular supply of drugs, and worn-out infrastructure in several prisons.
Overcrowding was also highlighted as a major pressure point, with some facilities reportedly holding nearly twice their intended capacity, a situation the medics said is worsening health risks among inmates.
The committee was further informed that limited bedding has forced some inmates to sleep on the floor, increasing exposure to diseases such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, and other respiratory infections.
The health workers called for urgent action to address both welfare and working conditions, including alignment of salaries and allowances with other public health workers, closer oversight of allowance distribution, and stronger investment in medical supplies, staffing, and infrastructure.
They also urged improvements in inmate living conditions, especially provision of adequate bedding, saying this would help reduce disease spread and ease pressure on already stretched medical services inside prisons.
The CIOC is expected to review the submissions and develop recommendations aimed at addressing the concerns raised by the prison-based health staff.