10 convicts in Kenya have graduated with law degrees after four years of study behind bars.
The men, most of whom are serving prison terms in Kamiti Maximum Prison, were awarded their degrees on Thursday after beating all odds to obtain their qualifications.
Other than the 10 Kenyan prisoners, some Ugandans were also awarded with degrees.
Thursday’s graduation was the first of its kind in Kenya through the African Prisons project (APP), an initiative started in Uganda some 10 years ago to equip prisoners with legal skills to ensure they get timely justice.
“The programme equips one with top legal skills. It has been highly gratifying to help inmates who can’t afford lawyers up to a point that they leave prison. Helping others is what has kept me going all these years,” said Dickson Munene, one of the graduates.
On his part, APP Legal Aid Manager John Muthuri said the initiative has helped open up the legal system to inmates that do not have means to obtain legal representation.
“At APP, we are creating innovative ways to ensure that everyone behind bars who can’t afford legal representation is represented,” said Muthuri.
Currently, 30 inmates in three Kenyan prisons have enrolled in the degree program.
