NAIROBI, KENYA
Crime Si Poa, in partnership with the Alliance high school student welfare group, donated one hundred-thirty-three mattresses to Nairobi west prison to improve the facility’s conditions.
The team was led and accompanied by their deputy headteacher. Mr. Karimi Mwangi and welfare teachers noted that there was a need for students to be exposed to the social dynamics and need to have them see what happens in the prisons. He further urged other schools to take the initiative.” Instead of burning the old mattress after the form fours leave them, it’s noble that we have them donated to the prisons after they have been given voluntarily by the students,” said Mr. Karimi. “You cannot know who will be in prison; when there, you never know what might happen. That’s why we decided to make an impact on those who are suffering,” Mr. Karimi noted.
The donation was appreciated by the welfare officers and team, who thanked crime Si Poa for the noble work that they are doing through their phoenix program. “The mattress donations that we have received are quite a help since we are experiencing scarcity in the prisons,” said Mr. Enock Ogeti-Inspector of Nairobi West Prison. Mr.Ogeto, who is also tasked with looking for partners and outsourcing donations, said, “I call on more partners to come on board and help us improve the situation in the prisons,” he said.
“You may not find or get 900 mattresses the capacity of our facility at a go, but a little help from different stakeholders will eventually meet our need,” he said.
Peter Ouko, Crime Si Poa founder and executive director, thanked the students and the welfare team that made the event a success through their donations, “Leadership demands of us at any given time whichever school you went to. Instead of having the academic bonfire where people burn their mattresses at the end of the four-year course, the students of Alliance decided to keep their mattresses and donate to the society.”
He said that giving out what they are not using is one way to give back to the community. Mr. Pete also called on the criminal justice system to look for alternative ways of solving conflicts instead of sending them to jail. “Young people’s lives are rotting within our prison system. If you look at Nairobi West, the majority are hawkers, car wash guys who are being kept here even though the constitution says anybody who is supposed to be jailed for less than six months is not supposed to be in prison,” he said.
Crime Si Poa, through its constant engagement with the communities, has greatly reduced levels of crime in society by creating awareness. “We do not want young people to come here; we are mentoring and helping them to be better citizens in the community,” he narrated. “if you look at the numbers of people in prisons, almost 75% of the number are youths,” he continued.