FACTORS INFLUENCING IMPLEMENTATION OF INMATES’ VOCATIONAL TRAINING PROJECTS IN KENYA PRISONS SERVICE IN EASTERN REGION: A SURVEY OF PRISONS IN EASTERN REGION
Patrick Wambugu Maina - Master of Arts in Project Planning and Management, University Nairobi, Kenya
Dr. Mercy M. Mugambi - School of Education, University of Nairobi, Kenya
ABSTRACT
The national government has taken the initiative to ensure they support the prisons department by employing technical officers to train inmates as a part of rehabilitation program. Implementation of inmates’ vocational training projects is poor despite the rationale for the introduction of technical trainings by the prisons department. The purpose of the study was to establish the determinants influencing implementation of inmates’ vocational training projects in Kenya Prisons Service in Eastern Region focusing on prisons in Eastern Region. The study was guided by the following specific objectives; to evaluate the extent to which funding, skills of instructors, inmate’s literacy levels, and technology influence implementation of inmate’s vocational training projects in Kenya Prisons Service in Eastern Region. The study was grounded on the human capital theory, agency theory and resource base view theory. The study adopted a descriptive research design. The target population was 130 technical prison officers who are deployed at eastern region to facilitate vocational trainings in prisons and a census was conducted. Primary data was obtained using self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire was made up of both open ended and closed ended questions. The drop and pick method was preferred for questionnaire administration to give respondents enough time to give well thought out responses. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences Version 23. All the questionnaires received were referenced and items in the questionnaire was coded to facilitate data entry. After data cleaning which entailed checking for errors in entry, descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages for all the quantitative variables was used to describe the situation. Inferential data analysis was done using multiple regression analysis. Multiple regression analysis was used to establish the relations between the independent and dependent variables and the data was presented inform of tables. The study found that funding positively and significantly influence effective implementation of inmate’s vocational trainings projects in Kenya Prisons Service. In this case adequate training materials and that financial availability had great influence on effective implementation of inmate’s vocational trainings projects in Kenya Prisons Service. On the same training funds approval process were deduced to moderately influence effective implementation of inmate’s vocational trainings projects in Kenya prisons service. The study concluded that funding had the greatest influence on effective implementation of inmate’s vocational trainings projects in Kenya Prisons Service followed by modern technology, then skills of instructors while inmate’s literacy levels had the least influence on the effective implementation of inmate’s vocational trainings projects in Kenya Prisons Service. The study recommends that there is a need to ensure that more budgetary allocations are given to both the Kenya prisons service and the department of probation and aftercare services. The government can increase such allocations by attracting donors and inviting non-governmental organizations to participate in rehabilitation programmes. The study also recommends that there is need to recruit professional prison officers in proportion to the number of inmates in the country.
