Saboti MP Caleb Amisi has called on the government to ensure that inmates who undergo vocational training while in prison are placed in employment immediately upon release, arguing that this is key to preventing recidivism.
Speaking during a visit to Kitale Annex, Women’s Prison, and Main Prison on Thursday, December 25, Amisi emphasised that the government has a responsibility to connect trained former prisoners with job opportunities.
"Whether it is carpentry, masonry, brick making, or any other skill, it must be the responsibility of the government to take them out of prison and place them in jobs. We are not training them just to go out and remain idle," Amisi said.
Legislative Intervention
The Saboti MP revealed that he is drafting a bill that would legally require the government to directly place trained ex-convicts into employment.
"If the government invests resources in training young people while they are in prison, it must ensure they are productively engaged after release. So, the bill I am working on mandates that when people leave prison with training, the government places them in jobs directly," he added.
Amisi stressed that trained former inmates represent valuable human capital that should be utilised for national development rather than being left unemployed.
"These are the people who will build the nation," he reiterated.