Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has urged Kenya Prisons Service officers to remain politically neutral ahead of the 2027 General Election, saying their loyalty must remain with the Constitution, the Republic and the people of Kenya.
Kindiki, who represented President William Ruto at the 27th pass-out parade for Kenya Prisons Service cadets at the Prisons Staff Training College in Ruiru, Kiambu County, said officers must protect the democratic space while keeping partisan politics out of their work.
Reading the President’s remarks, Kindiki said the authority entrusted to correctional officers must never be used to advance political interests.
“As officers of a disciplined service, your authority must never become an instrument of partisan politics,” he said.
The Deputy President said the approaching General Election made political neutrality within security institutions even more important.
“Your loyalty does not belong to any candidate, party or political interest. Your loyalty belongs to the Constitution, the Republic and the people of Kenya,” he said.
He urged the new officers to serve all Kenyans fairly and uphold the law “without fear, favour or prejudice”, while warning that political competition should not threaten peace.
“Political competition must never become a contest against peace,” Kindiki said, adding that security institutions must remain “firmly above partisan politics”.
Kindiki also called on the officers to reject corruption, bribery and collusion with criminal networks, as well as brutality, humiliation and discrimination against people in custody.
“Reject corruption and bribery, reject contraband and collusion with criminal networks, reject brutality, humiliation and discrimination, and reject every attempt to misuse the authority Kenya has placed in your hands,” he said.
The second in command described integrity as an “operational requirement” for correctional officers, saying those who abuse their authority or facilitate criminal activity compromise national security and put fellow officers and the public at risk.
He also reminded the officers that prisoners retain their dignity despite losing their freedom.
“A prison sentence takes away liberty. It does not take away human dignity,” he said.
Kindiki urged the officers to be “firm without being cruel”, vigilant without being abusive and authoritative without becoming arbitrary.
He said the modernisation of the Kenya Prisons Service was also necessary to strengthen national security, citing investments in staff welfare, healthcare, housing and operational capacity.
Kindiki said Phase III of the prison officers’ salary review took effect on 1 July 2026, while the government had commissioned the 150-bed Wanini Kireri Magereza Level IV Referral Hospital.
The service is also expected to benefit from nearly 28,000 affordable housing units, including 9,000 to be procured through public-private partnerships.
The Deputy President said the government was also investing in rehabilitation, citing the Ruiru Prison Coffee Farm Irrigation Project as an example of correctional facilities becoming centres of production, skills development and reintegration.
“A successful correctional service is not measured only by how securely it holds those committed to its custody, but also by how successfully it prepares them never to return,” he said.
He urged the new officers to carry the authority of the State with restraint and protect public safety while helping inmates prepare for a second chance in society.