Deputy President Kithure Kindiki urged the swift integration of advanced technologies into Kenya’s correctional system, saying AI and modern tools can improve service delivery and efficiency.

He highlighted that artificial intelligence, data analytics, secure digital communication and related technologies can aid operational planning, pinpoint service gaps, support rehabilitation programmes and optimise limited resources.

Speaking at the opening of the 4th Correctional Service Week in Nairobi, Kindiki stressed that digital innovation must be anchored in law and exercised responsibly, protecting dignity, personal data and preventing discrimination.

He directed the State Department of Correctional Services to align its digital projects with the National Digital Master Plan 2022‑2032, the National E‑Commerce Strategy 2023 and the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2025‑2030, as well as relevant cybersecurity and data‑protection frameworks.

Kindiki also called for the department to merge technology initiatives with pro‑social services such as education, vocational training, psychosocial support, restorative justice, family involvement and community‑based alternatives to incarceration.

Emphasising a broader vision, he said correctional institutions should become hubs for skills development, innovation and sustainable production, not merely places of confinement.

The week’s theme, ‘Transforming Correctional Services through Technology and Green Solutions’, underscored his push for climate‑friendly practices, including renewable energy, water harvesting, waste management, climate‑smart agriculture and tree planting.

He urged the development of productive farms, improved irrigation, agricultural mechanisation, waste‑recycling initiatives and expanded use of clean energy within prison facilities.