World Prisons
All countries

Africa · Eastern Africa

Kenya

High confidence
Verified 20 May 2026 · Data dated 1 Jan 2025
Fresh · 9d ago

Substantial overcrowding; Independent Police Oversight Authority and the National Council on Administration of Justice publish periodic reviews.

Compare KenyaWorld Prison Brief page

Data is aggregated from public sources and may be incomplete or out of date. Always verify with primary sources before acting on any figure. See data sources.

Prison population

60,740

Year: 2025

Rate per 100,000

101

Per 100,000 residents

Occupancy

176.5%

Severely overcrowded

Pre-trial / remand

40.3%

Share not yet sentenced

Female prisoners

4.8%

Foreign nationals

1.5%

Conditions risk — across 32 facilities

Average of our computed Conditions Risk Score across the country's facilities. Methodology · Browse highest-risk

—
national average
32 unknown

How Kenya compares

vs Africa (6) & global averages
Rate per 100,000this: 101 · region: 209 · global: 214
Occupancy ratethis: 177% · region: 157% · global: 125%
Pre-trial sharethis: 40% · region: 34% · global: 32%

The vertical ticks mark the global (grey) and regional (amber) means. Bars are clipped at the high end for readability.

Prison population over time

Annual figures, latest survey year
2000: 40,010+47.2% over 22y2022: 58,887

Reform in Kenya

All reform →

Laws, programmes, and pilots changing how Kenya incarcerates — plus relevant research.

  • Decriminalisation of petty offences2017–ongoing

    decarceration · active

    Kenya's High Court struck down 'rogue and vagabond' offences in 2019, which had been used to detain and prosecute people for being poor, unemployed, or out at night. Reform was driven by Kituo cha Sheria and Africa Criminal Justice Reform.

Prisons in Kenya

Browse all 32 →

32 facilities in our database — showing the first 24.

Eldoret Prisons

Kenya

Type

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Capacity

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Held

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Embu Prisons

Kenya

Type

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Capacity

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Held

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G. K. Prison

Kenya

Type

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Capacity

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Held

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GK Kiambu Prisons

Kenya

Type

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Capacity

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Held

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GK Prison Kitale

Kenya · Kitale

Type

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Capacity

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Held

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GoK Industrial Area Remand Prison

Kenya · Nairobi

Type

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Capacity

—

Held

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Hola GK Prison

Kenya

Type

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Capacity

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Held

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Kamiti Maximum Security Prison

Kenya

Type

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Capacity

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Held

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kenya prison isiolo

Kenya

Type

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Capacity

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Held

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Kibos Prison

Kenya

Type

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Capacity

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Held

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KILIFI PRISON

Kenya

Type

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Capacity

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Held

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King`ong`o Prison

Kenya · King'ong'o

Type

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Capacity

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Held

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Kitui Prison

Kenya · Kitui

Type

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Capacity

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Held

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Kodiaga Prison

Kenya

Type

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Capacity

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Held

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Langata Womens Prison

Kenya · Nairobi

Type

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Capacity

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Held

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Lodwar GK Prison

Kenya · Lodwar

Type

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Capacity

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Held

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Machakos Prison Grounds

Kenya · Machakos

Type

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Capacity

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Held

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Makueni Remand Prison

Kenya

Type

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Capacity

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Held

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Mandera District Prison

Kenya

Type

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Capacity

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Held

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Manyani maximum prison

Kenya · Manyani

Type

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Capacity

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Held

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Nairobi West Prison

Kenya

Type

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Capacity

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Held

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Naivasha prison

Kenya

Type

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Capacity

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Held

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Nanyuki prison

Kenya · Nanyuki

Type

—

Capacity

—

Held

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Narok Prison

Kenya

Type

—

Capacity

—

Held

—

See all 32 prisons in Kenya →

Data completeness

100%

Score based on how many fields are populated. We surface this so you know where the gaps are.

National population
59,980,0002025
Source-verified
20 May 2026
Source links
1 cited

Sources

Direct citations for the figures on this page.