Babies behind bars paying for the sins of their mothers

Inmates with their minors at Naivasha Women prison follow proceedings when members of the judiciary visited the penal institution. The department of prison has decried the high number of minors being held in prison with their mothers. [POHTO: ANTONY GITONGA/STANDARD]

NAIVASHA: It is a cold and wet morning at Naivasha Women’s Prison. A group of inmates lie side by side on thin mattresses that have seen better times. The silence is broken by the sound of heavy boots as warders approach the cells then noisily unlock one of the heavy doors.

The noise wakes up a toddler who protests the interruption of her sleep by screaming at the top of her voice. Her mother’s efforts to calm her down are fruitless as other children wake up and also start to wail.