By Nicholas S. K. Amessouwoe and Grace Muthoni Mwaura

This semester, two student groups, as part of their required community service initiative, carried out various unique projects at the Langata Women's Maximum Security Prison. This is Kenya’s principal correctional facility for women serving long sentences, including capital offences. Established in 1962 and located along Langata Road in Nairobi County, it operates under the Kenya Prisons Service, a department mandated to provide safe custody, rehabilitation, and reintegration of offenders. The prison houses both convicted inmates and women held on remand, who are awaiting trial or sentencing. There is a constitutional obligation for the State to uphold the inmates’ human dignity and ensure humane living conditions, which is further reinforced through its ratification of international human rights instruments such as the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners.

This institution, therefore, sits at the intersection of justice, rehabilitation, and human rights, and the conditions of its remand facilities reflect national commitments toward humane corrections and gender-responsive institutional care.

The first group grounded their project on addressing a health-related gap in the prison. During the weeks they spent on site, they explored the various departments within the facility. These included the daycare for the children of inmates, where they assisted with feeding and engaging the children through both indoor and outdoor activities. In the laboratories, they conducted practical experiments such as phlebotomy and blood sugar testing. At the prison and remand clinic, they supported triaging, helping to assess the health status of inmates and determine who required urgent care versus routine monitoring. The students also visited the overall pharmacy, Remand Centre, and the Chandaria Lang’ata Women’s Prison Workshop, which includes the bakery and clothing/textile sections designed to equip inmates with valuable skills for income generation and successful reintegration into society.

After their onsite session, the group agreed to implement a series of activities aimed at enhancing healthcare delivery, supporting prison staff, and improving the overall environment. They purchased medical equipment and supplies, including a suction machine, Omron blood pressure machines, a foetal Doppler, blood glucometers, test strips, lancets, EDTA tubes, a nebulizing kit, adult and children’s diapers, gripe water, a B.P. machine charger, and a wheelchair. These items were intended to support daily health monitoring and patient care within the facility. On the day of the handover, Barbrah Omenya, the team leader, reminded the inmates that no one should be defined solely by their mistakes. “You are better than the worst thing you have ever done,” she said. Additionally, Joy Muchemi, a Bachelor of Pharmacy student, spoke on Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs), where she explained how they should take care of their private parts. The group also planted five Jacaranda trees, a symbolic act of leaving behind a living legacy for generations to come.

The second group renovated the Capital Remand Section. This is where women charged with serious offences await case hearings. Due to high turnover and systemic constraints, this section suffers more infrastructural wear and tear, limited privacy, and fewer rehabilitative amenities compared to the main blocks. Their renovation project was exclusively allocated to this section.

Before the students’ intervention, the Capital Remand Section exhibited deteriorating physical conditions that compromised inmate dignity and safety. The ceiling boards had become loose and fallen off, creating hazards. Inside bathroom doors were missing or broken, denying privacy. The outside toilets and showers lacked doors entirely, exposing inmates to indignity. Walls were worn out and unpainted, and roofing materials had deteriorated. Despite their legal status, whether convicted or awaiting trial, the inmates deserved humane conditions that preserve dignity and support psychological well-being. Improving the sanitation and physical environment was essential to promoting rehabilitation and aligning with national and international human rights obligations.

The students fully renovated the outside toilet, including adding a new door and tiled floor, installed doors in three showers, tiled the outside area surrounding the bathroom and toilet, and repaired the Capital Ward ceiling boards. Additionally, they partially tiled the inside bathroom and toilet and primed the doors with the first coat of paint.

This renovation improved inmate dignity by restoring privacy through door installations, reducing hazards with ceiling repairs, and creating cleaner spaces through tiling and painting. Psychologically, the environment now feels safer and more humane. The group therapy sessions by the students allowed the inmates to confront guilt, share experiences, and receive emotional support. These sessions supported SDG 3 (mental health) and contributed to healing and resilience. The project also strengthened institutional operations by improving sanitation and safety, thereby contributing to SDG 16 (strong institutions).