Bringing harm reduction to prison in Kenya

MEWA, in Kenya, facilitated a workshop for prison officers in Mombasa. Many people who use drugs are held and don’t receive medical treatment. This training was in response to the urgent need for harm reduction services within the prisons.

The harm reduction workshop's aim was:

• to increase access to HIV, TB and Hepatitis prevention and treatment services (such as methadone) in the prisons,
• encourage human and health rights of people who use drugs (PUDs) and
• create a dialogue between law enforcement agencies, Community Service Organisations (CSOs) and PUDs

Some componants of the training highlighted:

The facilitators were a dynamic group with representation from the judiciary system, a high court prosecutor, an internal security consultant, CSOs and advocates/programme officers from MEWA (Muslim Education and Welfare Association).

A Police Chief Inspector took the participants through the conflicting messages in the Public Health Act which provides support and services to PUDs, and the Kenya Statutes which focus on punishing PUDs.

The High Court Prosecutor presented the benefits (to both individual and the community) of referring for services rather than prosecuting. Section 29 Prisons Act, Cap 90 states that there shall be a medical officer responsible for every prison (this is not currently the case in all prisons in Kenya).

The group then visited a methadone clinic where they had the opportunity to meet beneficiaries. This was an eye opener for the prison staff who found the methadone programme to be an acceptable alternative to sentencing which could play a pivotal role in improving rehabilitation services for PWUDs with criminal records.

As a result of this tour, it emerged that the Kenya Prison Services were willing to embrace change and collaboration as part of the public service reforms being carried out in the country, and ended up calling for the introduction of treatment facilities and the MAT programme in prison.

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