Deaths in Kenyan Prisons Reach Nine-Year High

Deaths in Kenyan Prisons Reach Nine-Year High

The number of deaths in Kenyan prisons reached its highest level in nine years (since 2015) in 2024, with 210 deaths. This data comes from a statistical report by the Kenyan Bureau of Statistics dated December 14, 2025. This is very worrying news. Reports of deaths in Kenyan prisons point to serious and persistent problems within the Kenyan prison system. Although the exact figures and specific reasons for the recent increase are not included in this period, previous reports from human rights organizations and the media point to recurring main causes that are often responsible for high mortality rates in Kenyan prisons. These include: - Overcrowding. Prisons are often massively overcrowded, housing many times their capacity (sometimes up to three times as many inmates). This is the primary cause of most of the problems. - Poor hygiene. Due to overcrowding and a lack of resources, infectious diseases spread rapidly. - Inadequate medical care. Shortages of staff, medication, and adequate treatment. - Lack of basic necessities. These include insufficient food, clean water, clothing, and blankets. - Disease. Historically, most deaths are attributed to highly contagious infectious diseases such as tuberculosis (TB), typhoid fever, diarrhea, and HIV/AIDS. - Violence and ill-treatment. There are also reports of deaths resulting from torture or ill-treatment by prison staff, although this accounts for a smaller proportion than deaths from disease. An increase in deaths to a nine-year high would likely indicate that these underlying problems have either been ignored or have worsened recently. Overall, the increase highlights the ongoing problems within the prison system, including potential overcrowding and inadequate healthcare. The report did not identify specific causes for the deaths in 2024, but previous investigations point to problems such as disease carriers and inadequate prison conditions. 2025 was a worrying year for Kenya in terms of human rights. There were reportedly 57 deaths related to violations of the right to life and 97 police-documented killings. Deaths in prisons are part of a broader concern about brutality in detention facilities, as demonstrated by cases such as that of Albert Ojwang. Human rights groups are calling for reforms to increase accountability and oversight. 2025 was a worrying year for Kenya with regard to human rights. https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/bd/news/deaths-in-kenya-prisons-hit-a-nine-year-high-5295824 https://www.facebook.com/TheStarKenya/posts/the-year-2025-marked-a-troubling-chapter-for-kenyas-human-rights-landscape-with-/1320727476763125/ https://www.facebook.com/TheStarKenya/posts/the-kenya-national-commission-on-human-rights-knchr-has-documented-57-deaths-lin/1319204176915455/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncGfom8uPZ0 https://www.facebook.com/CitizenTVKe/videos/kenya-human-rights-declineimlu-says-97-people-were-killed-by-police-in-2025-kahu/1385697793217123/ https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/infographics/2025-12-10-some-of-the-deaths-that-shocked-the-nation https://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/prison/Prison_brief_2025.pdf https://new.kenyalaw.org/articles/2017-01-31/research/an-audit-of-the-criminal-justice-system-in-kenya/attachment/42/Criminal_Justice_Report.pdf https://www.iebc.or.ke/docs/rov_per_prison.pdf https://eastleighvoice.co.ke/coast/254679/landmark-report-reveals-widespread-abuse-killings-of-older-persons-in-kilifi https://www.facebook.com/YMCATogether/photos/the-government-must-focus-much-more-on-tackling-systemic-inequality-as-this-is-t/749536624278050