Thika Main Prison Officer Honoured for Transforming Inmate Rehabilitation Through Innovation

 

Principal Secretary for Correctional Services, Salome Beaco (left), presents an award to Thika Main Prison Officer-in-Charge and Kiambu County Commander, CP Hassan Waqo, recognized as the Best Overall Prison Officer at the 2025 Correctional Service Week Gala for his innovations and establishment of a law school for inmates.

 The State Department for Correctional Services has concluded its third annual Correctional Service Week by recognizing outstanding officers and institutions that have demonstrated excellence in rehabilitation, innovation, and service delivery within Kenya’s correctional system.

The three-day event, themed “Efficient Service Delivery for the Common Good,” celebrated transformative achievements that promote justice, rehabilitation, and public safety across correctional facilities nationwide.

Thika Main Prison Officer-in-Charge and Kiambu County Commander Hassan Waqo, CP, emerged as the Best Overall Prison Officer, earning top honours for his pioneering use of technology and innovation in inmate rehabilitation. Waqo was commended for establishing a law school for inmates at Thika Main Prison — an initiative that has enabled prisoners to pursue legal studies through online university programs.

“In partnership with renowned universities, our inmates can now learn to become better citizens,” said Waqo during the awards ceremony. “I’m proud that through this initiative, Thika Main Prison has won national and international court moot competitions, even against Ivy League universities and the London School of Economics.”

Waqo’s programme has already produced remarkable results, with at least five inmates graduating and qualifying as lawyers — a milestone hailed as a model for correctional reform in Kenya.

Also recognized was Chida Phyllis Wafula, SSP, Officer-in-Charge of Kapsabet Women Prison, which was named Best in Offender Rehabilitation and Reintegration. Wafula credited the introduction of tailoring, agribusiness, and mentoring courses as key to transforming lives and reducing reoffending among women inmates.

“Our institution has not experienced congestion because we have fewer offenders,” Wafula noted. “This gives me time to personally engage with each woman, offer guidance, and ensure they leave with practical skills and renewed purpose.”

Speaking during the closing ceremony, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen commended the Correctional Services Department for its ongoing reforms aimed at improving professionalism, efficiency, and humane treatment in prisons.

“I commend the leadership and officers of our Correctional Services for transforming lives through reform, training, and reintegration programmes that strengthen national security and social cohesion,” Murkomen said.

The event, graced by Principal Secretary for Correctional Services Salome Beaco, saw 22 individuals and 24 correctional facilities honoured for their exemplary service.

As Kenya continues to pursue correctional reforms, initiatives such as those led by Waqo and Wafula underscore a growing shift from punitive incarceration toward rehabilitation and reintegration — ensuring that inmates re-enter society as productive, law-abiding citizens.