Joy as Naivasha inmates celebrate excellence

By Antony Gitonga

It was song and dance at Naivasha GK Prison as warders and inmates celebrated the just released KCPE results in which the penal institution was ranked the best in the country.

Batons, handcuffs and guns were kept aside as the warders joined the inmates, some serving death sentences, in celebrating the impressive results.

Ewoi James Loitiang, 33, who is serving 20 years for defilement, was the man of the moment after he scored 350 marks.

Ewoi, who hails from Turkana, termed learning conditions in prison as hard but noted that hard work and assistance from fellow inmates and warders had helped him a lot.

He thanked the prison management noting that education had transformed him into a better person and promised to work harder in secondary school.

 “I want to be a better and educated person so that when I leave prison I can positively change the lives of my people in Lodwar,” he said.

The officer in charge of the prison, Patrick Mwenda, commended the inmates for performing well despite facing various challenges.

Mr Mwenda noted that out of the 46 inmates who sat the national exams, ten scored more than 300 marks.

“The inmates rely on their colleagues when learning and they have proven that despite the challenges and odds they face, they can deliver,” he said.

Mwenda said prison education had continued to attract many inmates, noting that the institution currently has more than 1,400 students.

At Nakuru GK Prison, staff and inmates also celebrated their good performance. Two of the prisoners scored 322 marks. The facility also posted an improved mean score of 217 compared to 2011’s 201.3.

Kariuki Peter Mwangi and Ochengo Rakira topped the list while the last candidate scored only 95 marks.

According to Kihara Kihoro, the head of education department, 22 candidates were listed for the exams but only 11 sat after a similar number were set free through presidential amnesty.

Mr Kihoro also said he had one candidate with A in maths and two A- in both English and social studies.

“Although the performance was not all that good we are committed to ensuring that every year we do our best,” he said.