ENAF Launches ‘Mothers and Babies Behind Bars’ Initiative at Murang’a Women’s Prison

Echo Network Africa Foundation (ENAF), represented by Chief of Party Sarah Muhoya, has officially launched the “Mothers and Babies Behind Bars” initiative. This milestone launch took place during the official opening of the new Administration Block and the Prisoners’ Mixed Block by the State Department for Correctional Services (SDCS) at Murang’a Women’s Prison. The multi-stakeholder initiative, which addresses the welfare of innocent children living with their incarcerated mothers, saw the donation of vital institutional support including beds, mattresses, and essential equipment, alongside personal Dignity Packs for every woman in the institution.

In the keynote address delivered on her behalf, ENAF President and CEO Dr. Jennifer Riria emphasised the societal obligation to protect vulnerable children and restore the dignity of women. She said: “A child’s cradle should never be in a cell. A child must never serve their mother’s sentence. At ENAF, we believe that empowerment must extend to those society often overlooks. When we restore a mother’s dignity, we protect a child’s future.”

Among those who attended the high-profile event were the Principal Secretary for the State Department for Correctional Services, Dr. Salome Beacco, CBS, Director of Prison Reforms, Mr. Ali Athmani, Central Regional Commander of Prisons, Ms Anne Gatimu, alongside development partners, and senior prison leadership. Speaking at the event, government officials praised the collaborative approach, noting that integrating gender-responsive management and child-sensitive spaces within the Kenya Prisons Service transforms correctional facilities from places of mere confinement into institutions of true rehabilitation and healing.

So far, ENAF’s holistic interventions have spanned six correctional institutions across the country, providing structured psychosocial support to over 140 incarcerated women and girls. The initiative operates across three interconnected priorities: protecting the child, restoring the dignity of women through psychosocial and legal empowerment, and strengthening correctional systems. This includes setting up vibrant, child-friendly crèches like the one at Thika Women’s Prison to ensure children spend their formative years in environments of safety, stimulation, and hope. With between 300 and 400 children currently living behind prison walls across Kenya’s 44 women’s correctional facilities, ENAF is working closely with the SDCS and corporate partners to scale these life-changing interventions nationwide, one facility at a time. This vital work requires a collective effort. ENAF calls upon individuals and corporate partners to join hands with us. Whether by supporting child-friendly crèches, donating to dignity drives, or sponsoring reintegration programmes, your partnership will restore hope and protect the future of these vulnerable children and mothers.

Mothers & Babies Behind Bars: Safeguarding the Rights of Children in the Justice System

Echo Network Africa Foundation (ENAF) has launched a strategic intervention to address the developmental crisis facing children who, due to their mothers’ legal status, are growing up within Kenya’s correctional facilities. In alignment with global human rights standards, the initiative ensures that infants under the age of four do not serve an unearned sentence alongside their parents.

While Kenyan law allows infants to remain with their incarcerated mothers, prison environments were built for punishment rather than development. These children often live in concrete cells with limited access to sunlight and specialised nutrition. ENAF’s programme bridges this gap through a “Triple-Impact” model targeting the child, the mother, and the prison staff.

A Catalyst for Systemic Change

Dr Jennifer Riria, President and CEO of ENAF, emphasised the organisation’s role as a catalyst for development. She noted that approximately 300 to 400 children are currently living in prisons across the country. Many spend their most formative years without basic childhood experiences, such as tasting fresh fruit. “A child should not serve their mother’s sentence,” she stated, urging stakeholders to provide these families with a second chance.

The technical complexity of this mission is underscored by a strategic partnership with the State Department for Correctional Services (SDCS). Dr Margaret Mutuma, Director at SDCS, reported that while 12 “model” daycares have been established, 32 of Kenya’s 44 women’s prisons still lack even basic makeshift facilities for children. The initiative prioritises regions with high incarceration rates for survival-related offences, such as petty theft or illegal brewing, where young mothers and their children are most isolated from support.

ENAF’s Strategic Interventions

The ENAF programme moves beyond general support to provide targeted, resource-backed interventions designed to restore dignity and foster development:

• Dignity: Providing “Dignity Packs” containing essential hygiene items such as soap, sanitary towels, and innerwear to restore a mother’s self-worth and health.
• Development: Creating “Children’s Packs” with nutrient-dense weaning foods, diapers, and warm clothing to protect infant health.
• The Legacy Project: Building prison creches – dedicated, safe, and colourful spaces for early childhood development that allow children to learn and play away from the main cells.
• Sensitisation: Transforming the prison environment through gender-responsive training for staff to encourage empathy and child-friendly practices.

The Power of Shared Responsibility

This mission requires a unified response from the state, civil society, and the private sector. By working together, stakeholders can ensure that the “unseen sentences” of these children are lifted, providing them with the sunlight and safety they deserve. The goal is to reach “forgotten” prisons like Wundanyi and Siaya, ensuring no child is left behind due to geographical isolation.

Call to Action: Support the Journey

We invite you to be part of this transformative movement. Your support, whether through financial contributions, corporate partnerships, or in-kind donations of outgrown children’s clothes and toys, is a direct investment in a child’s health and a mother’s dignity.

• Fund a Dignity Pack (KES 1,000): Provide essential hygiene and health items for one mother.
• Sponsor a Children’s Pack (KES 50,000 per prison): Deliver nutrient-dense food, diapers, and warm clothing to infants.
• Corporate Partnerships: We are seeking CSR partners to fund the construction and equipping of the Legacy Project creches.

Contact Us to Support:

For more information on how you can contribute or partner with us, please reach out to the Echo Network Africa Foundation team at info@enafrica.org or visit our offices at Muchai Drive, off Ngong Road.

Donations can be made via:

Lipa na Mpesa Paybill: 972800 Account Name: Mother & Baby

Let us walk these children out of the shadows, together.