Kenya High Court Rejects Prisoner Pay Rise

Three ex-inmates have had their case to give Kenyan prisoners a pay rise has been dismissed by the High Court.

The petition was filed four years ago and argued that the extremely low pay was tantamount to slavery and fundamentally deprived them of their human dignity.

On average, prisoners in the Kenyan system earn $1 a year, a figure which has not been revised since 1979.

The government uses inmates’ labour to make furniture for government buildings, including both the parliament and the courts, as well as to manufacture vehicle registration plates.

The three former prisoners also argued there should be better provision of basic amenities, like soap, toothpaste and toilet paper.

One of the petitioners, Aloys Onyango, who served 16 years inside, claimed not to have been paid at all.

The court rejected the case on the grounds that inmates’ wages are not a legal matter, but rather set at the discretion of the commissioner of prisons.

The judge also said that any wage was a benefit, but not an entitlement.

The ex-inmates have already stated their intention to appeal the decision.