Corruption within Kenya’s public service continues to expose how deeply some departments have lost their moral compass, with the latest claims pointing to the salary section at the Prison Headquarters in Nairobi.
Reports suggest that prison officers are being forced to pay a Ksh 5,000 facilitation fee whenever they apply for a loan.
Without this payment, no application is processed, making it an unspoken rule for anyone seeking financial help. What should be a simple and fair service has now turned into a money-making scheme where officers, already facing financial strain, are left frustrated and powerless.
Many have described the situation as shameful, especially for a department meant to serve those who dedicate their lives to difficult and often dangerous work.
The allegations at Magereza House are not isolated. Over the years, Kenya’s prisons service has faced accusations of corruption in different forms, from recruitment scandals to misuse of funds.
In 2023, claims surfaced that new recruits were being forced to pay up to Ksh 840,000 just to secure a place as trainee warders. The following year, similar reports indicated that applicants paid between Ksh 500,000 and Ksh 600,000 for recruitment, with male candidates allegedly paying even more.
Such practices have turned public service jobs into privileges for the wealthy or well-connected, leaving qualified but less privileged citizens without a chance.
Once hired, some officers may feel pressured to recover their “investment,” creating a continuous cycle of bribery and extortion that weakens the integrity of the entire system.
The problem goes beyond recruitment or loan processing. In past incidents, senior officials have been linked to fake supplier payments and kickbacks running into millions.
One principal accountant was accused of approving fictitious payments worth millions of shillings and later receiving part of the money back through personal benefits like mortgage payments.
Such actions reveal that corruption is not just happening at the lower levels but also within the leadership that is supposed to safeguard public funds.
There have also been disturbing claims from prisons like Nyamira GK, where officers allegedly pocket money meant to help families of fallen colleagues. Some families have had to pay to access bodies or benefits, and in some cases, fake spouses were introduced to claim compensation.
These kinds of actions strip away the dignity of those who have served and passed on, showing just how far the problem has spread.
Even top officials have been questioned for extravagant spending. A past audit showed that Kenya Correctional Services used about Sh 3 million a year to maintain a luxurious house for a former commissioner, exceeding the legal limit by a wide margin.
Such misuse of resources, while rank-and-file officers struggle to get basic services, highlights the need for accountability across all levels.
The situation at Magereza House is therefore only one piece of a much larger puzzle that reflects the decay in public service management. Officers who depend on loans for emergencies or family needs are now subjected to an extra burden that eats into their hard-earned salaries.
This not only affects morale but also deepens mistrust between staff and management. Calls for a full overhaul of the salary section are justified, and independent investigations by agencies such as the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission could help uncover the truth.
Kenya’s prisons system should be a place of discipline, integrity, and fairness, but corruption has turned it into the opposite. Until strong action is taken and transparency becomes the norm, ordinary officers will keep suffering under a culture of bribery and intimidation.
Real change will only come when those in power start putting service above personal gain, and when the system finally protects, rather than exploits, those who serve it.
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