{{Short description|Prison in Nairobi, Kenya}} {{EngvarB|date=May 2018}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2018}} {{Infobox prison |prison_name = Kamiti Maximum Security Prison |image = |location = Kahawa West, Kasarani, Nairobi |coordinates = |status = Operational |classification = Maximum security prison |capacity = |opened = 1955 |closed = |managed_by = Kenya Prisons Service |director = }}
'''Kamiti Maximum Security Prison''' is a prison in Nairobi, Kenya. The prison is within Kasarani District, bordering Kiambu County. Originally named "Kamiti Downs", it sits in the middle of its own {{convert|1200|acre|ha|adj=on|disp=flip}} estates which lie fallow and untended.
==Overview== During the 1980s and early 1990s many political prisoners were held at Kamiti, including Hussein Onyango Obama, Kenneth Matiba, Raila Odinga, Koigi wa Wamwere, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, Jonah Anguka<ref>[http://www.nationaudio.com/News/DailyNation/Features/Anguka/partm.html Absolute Power - The Ouko Murder Mystery]</ref> and numerous others.
Many executions have been carried out in Kamiti. Mau Mau rebel leader Dedan Kimathi was hanged by the British colonial administration on 18 February 1957.<ref>KBC, 20 November 2006: [http://www.kbc.co.ke/story.asp?ID=39546 Freedom fighter Dedan Kimathi to be honored]</ref> Hezekiah Ochuka and Pancras Oteyo Okumu were executed there on 17 May 1987. No death penalties have been held in Kenya since, although capital punishment is not formally abolished.<ref name="deathrow">Daily Nation, 7 January 2007: On death row for 31 years [http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?category_id=1&newsid=89078]{{Dead link|date=February 2020|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>
Kenya's prisons are infamous for poor conditions and inhumane treatment, although the situation has improved slightly during Mwai Kibaki's government since 2002 <ref>BBC News, 28 June 2004: [https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3840203.stm Kenya's prisoners go hi-tech]</ref> and some prisoners on death row have been released. There is still no reliable water supply, with over 200 prisoners hauling buckets of water around daily. The inmates working in the "industry" section are paid only 10 cents (Kenya shilling) per day, as per the outdated 1940s legislation which rules the organisation.{{Citation needed|date = April 2016}}
Within the prison, condemned "G" block is famed for its particularly brutal lifestyle, characterised by predatory sodomy and mobile phone confidence tricksters. The prison was built for 1400 prisoners, and it now houses over 3600 in poor living conditions. {{Citation needed|date = February 2018}}
On 17 November 2008, a search was carried out in G block for mobile phones which resulted in a brutal beating by the warders being captured on mobile phone video and given to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), and shown on Kenyan TV.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7737168.stm |title=Kenya jail beating to be probed |access-date=2009-02-06 |publisher=BBC News |date=19 November 2008 }}</ref>
Kirugumi wa Wanjuki was the longest serving and to date last hangman at Kamiti. Wanjuki died in 2009.<ref>The Standard, 4 November 2009: [http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/InsidePage.php?id=1144027802&cid=4&ttl=Lonely%20exit%20for%20retired%20Kamiti%20hangman Lonely exit for retired Kamiti hangman]</ref>
In November 2009, at least eight prisoners died due to cholera outbreak at Kamiti Prison.<ref>The Standard, 23 November 2009: [http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/InsidePage.php?id=1144028867&cid=4&ttl=Eight%20prisoners%20die%20of%20cholera%20at%20Kamiti Eight prisoners die of cholera at Kamiti]</ref>
== See also == * Thomas Cholmondeley
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * [http://kenya740.tripod.com/kamiti.html African Tribute] * [https://www.communistpartyofkenya.org/87-recent-news/240-poem-transfer-by-revolutionary-patriot Transfer], a poem about Kamiti Prison {{Authority control}} {{Coord|-1.177|36.894|type:landmark_region:KE|display=title}}
Category:Prisons in Kenya Category:Nairobi Category:Execution sites Category:1955 establishments in Africa Category:1950s establishments in Kenya Category:Prisons completed in the 1950s