Kamiti Maximum Security Prison. How to survive in one of the toughest jails in Africa?

Nairobi, Kenya, houses one of the toughest jails in the world. It is called Kamiti Maximum Security Prison. The jail occupies about 500 hectares of vast territories, named Kamiti region.

It is still reported to be the  death camp for those who got in. Although the capital punishment is no longer in practice, the cruel treatment still causes an amount of deaths. Surviving there is a real challenge.

What makes this penal institution such a rough place?

The conditions inmates are in presuppose surviving rather than living. The typical complains include:

• Poor food provision. The daily ration usually comprises a cup of porridge for breakfast, then a bowl of soup, often with undercooked beans and vegetables. No meat, fish or fruit.

• Low sanitation standards. There is no shower, sewage system or even cold running water in the cells.
• Congestion. The rooms are overcrowded, up to 20 people in 10 square meters. The building was constructed to hold not more than several thousands of prisoners at a time. Due to poor legal-aid in the country and the shortage of professional solicitors and lawyers in the justice system the number of first and repeatedly charged is increasing. This leads to the prison overpacking with inhabitants.

• Lack of medical care. The absence of medicinal devices and drugs from time to time cause the epidemic of cholera, and constantly numerous cases of food poisoning, and ulcers.
• Everyday searches. The warders looking for forbidden things are allowed to do this in any part of the day, especially in the morning and often in the most humiliating manner for the prisoners.

• Backbreaking work. It has long been discussed by public but still denied by the authorities that the inmates are forced to slavery work in the plantations, and even at school nearby.
• Severe treatment. Any violation of the prison’s rules is punished. Corporal penalty flourishing in the place brought to a number of prisoners beaten to death accidents.

How to survive in Kamiti Maximum Security Prison?

To stay alive in the intense security jail like Kamiti one involves obeying the rules. These principles help to get through the sentence with the less damage for a person. Besides, there are no medical care and prisoners die of different diseases such as cholera for example.

Behavior rules:

• Stay small. It means – do not try to oppose yourself to the jail system or, on the contrary,  be a friend for everybody. Follow the procedure and be reasonable. If the inmate behaves well, he can be moved to Kamiti Medium Security Prison in the last year or years of the penalty. The conditions are better over there.
• Make friends. Like in every jail there is a possibility to bypass some restrictions. Make friends with the right people, they are called warders’ pets. They will help you to get for money some formally forbidden bare necessities.
• Don’t rebel. The riots are severly put down. The usual penalty is the worsening of living conditions for all co-prisoners.
• Visits. Due to the corruption, not only relatives but the solicitors as well, can be asked for the bribe. Despite the corrupt practice, the visitors are not allowed to have long meetings or even officially stated hours, several minutes meets are authorized.
• Delivery. Devivered goods are severely hunted for contraband items. The list of the latter is long and includes gadgets, medicine, books, cigarettes et cetera.

Sanitation principles:

• Uniform and clothes. Home delivery clothes must follow the principles – natural fabric, loose and pocket-free model and not be exposed to quick wearing down. If you are given a chance to chose or exchange the uniform with the co-prisoners, take a baggy one. The cloth is natural and the design – loose.  This will prevent from a heatstroke during extreme weather temperature or in stuffy cells.
• Keep the body clean. If there is no opportunity to have a shower for long time, try to keep clean at least face and hands as these parts are always in contact with the surroundings.
• Sleep. All the inmates sleep on the floor and on one side. To make this more comfortable one should chose a place next to the door or window. It helps to get a bit more of fresh air than sleeping near the wall or in the corner.

General rules:

• Learn the language. While you are in jail and in case you are a foreigner, study the Swahili. It will take time but you will understand the warders and the co-prisoners and have less problems.
• Participate in prison programmes. There are educational programmes for inmates in Kamiti. They offer SMART course to get knowledge and prepare for entering educational institutions  for both warders and prisoners.

• Subscribe to library. If you are given a chance to attend a library, do not miss it. It is often the only opportunity to get out of an overcrowded cell, read and get to know the news.
• Outdoors. Being outdoors do sports or at least exercise. The inmates are not often given much time for leisure outside. Some sport activity classes are organised by the prisoners themselves.

• Work. Kamiti is an agricultural area. The prisoners are often charged with work at the plantations. It helps to get new experince and make difference in routine jail life.
• Make yourself busy. Enjoy every opportunity to do, learn or work. It helps not to be mental by the time you are appointed to come out.