Prisons Service on spot over ethnic imbalance in workforce; 7,234 Kalenjins, 5,360 Kikuyus

The Kenya Prisons Service (KPS) has come under scrutiny over ethnic representation in its workforce, with the National Assembly Committee on Cohesion and Equal Opportunities calling on the agency to address disparities in recruitment and ensure fair employment opportunities for minority and disadvantaged groups.

The Committee raised the concerns during a meeting with Prisons Service Commissioner General Patrick Aranduh, urging the agency to use its nationwide network of correctional facilities to promote diversity in employment.

Committee Chairperson, Mandera West MP Adan Yusuf Haji, argued that the Service had a distinct advantage over other government institutions because it operates facilities across all counties, making it easier to recruit officers from different communities and comply with constitutional requirements.

“With prisons in all counties, I don’t expect the Agency not to comply with the constitutional requirements of employment diversity,” he said.

The committee’s concerns emerged after Aranduh presented a report detailing the Service’s workforce composition, which showed that one community accounted for a disproportionately high number of employees.

The report also exposed a shortfall in the recruitment of persons living with disabilities (PLWDs), with the Service yet to meet the statutory requirement that they constitute at least five per cent of its workforce.

According to the figures presented to the lawmakers, KPS had 33,427 officers, including 7,234 Kalenjins and 5,360 Kikuyus, prompting questions about the criteria used to recruit personnel from different ethnic communities.

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Committee members challenged the Service to ensure that communities living in areas where prisons are located also benefit from employment opportunities, rather than allowing recruitment patterns to disadvantage certain groups.

Teso North MP Oku Kaunya questioned whether the recruitment process was being conducted fairly, arguing that the existing figures raised concerns about equal representation.

“Which criteria are you using to hire officers during recruitment that only favour one community at the expense of the others?” he posed.

Aranduh told the committee that the Service had already submitted its recruitment requests and was awaiting approval and confirmation of the recruitment dates.

“We have forwarded our requests for recruitment and we are waiting for approval and dates. We will use the exercise to ensure we correct ethnic imbalances in our employment,” he said.

Despite the concerns over ethnic diversity and disability inclusion, Aranduh told the lawmakers that the Service had achieved gender balance in its workforce, providing figures showing the distribution of male and female officers.

“Out of the 33,427 staff establishment, we have 25,227 males, translating to 75 percent, and 8,200 females, representing 24.5 percent,” he explained.

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