The Judiciary has launched the Rapid Results Initiative (RRI) which seeks to decongest the country’s prisons to achieve a sustainable prison population.
Speaking during the launch of the initiative at the Industrial Area Remand and Maximum Prison, Chief Justice Martha Koome on Monday, August 12, 2024, stated that a significant number of individuals in prisons are yet to be convicted, adding that every accused person is innocent until proven guilty by a court of law.
“The Judiciary is committed to reviewing sentences, and where appropriate, releasing convicts to perform community service instead of serving time in incarceration,” Koome said.
The Chief Justice said that community service orders not only alleviate the burden on our prison system but also serve as innovative tools for supporting the government’s environmental conservation efforts through ‘green sentencing’ which commits such released persons to perform public duties such as tree planting and environmental restoration.
Koome revealed that during the last financial year, 2023/2024, the courts reviewed 6,555 sentences out of which 2,918 individuals were deemed suitable for release under community service orders.
She also noted that in the wider plan to promote plea bargaining and diversionary initiatives, petty offenders should not be incarcerated but should be diverted to community service or alternative sentencing options that enable them to contribute positively to society.
The head of the Judiciary decried the large number of people in prisons who failed to post their bail or bond terms, stating that the new judiciary reforms seek to review these terms to ensure they are within reach of accused persons.
“This is being done based on the appreciation that it is a fundamental principle of justice that un-convicted individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Therefore, un-convicted persons ought not to remain in custody simply because they cannot afford bail or bond,” Koome added.