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.