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Celebrating Change From Inside The Prison Walls

I’ve worked in prisons since I was 18. Death row inmates in Uganda call me ‘a prisoner by choice’.

APP's 10 year Birthday: Interview with Brenda Simpson

As APP is turning 10 this month, we thought it would be a great time to catch up with her!

Release: Rahab Nyawira

On the 15th of September 2017, Rahab Nyawira, one of APP’s paralegals was released from Lang’ata Women’s Prison after six years behind bars.

World Health Day: Coping with Depression in Prison

Depression: Let’s Talk! This is the theme for World Health Day this year which is commemorated on 7th April. At least once, prisoners will experience depression at different levels of severity. In line with the theme for this year’s World Health Day, some of the beneficiaries used these initiatives as a platform to talk about their life in prison and how these initiatives have helped them cope with depression.

Michael Irungu: a story of loss and gain

Michael Irungu’s perspectives could not have been better. Where half of Kenya’s population live below the poverty line, being born into a wealthy family has its perks. After finishing primary school, Michael had the chance to visit Alliance High School, one of the prestigious secondary schools in Kenya. Despite this, Michael would never gain the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education from this nor from another high school. Bad company forces Michael to lose his way.

World Poetry Day

World Poetry Day is a time to appreciate and support poets and poetry around the world.Yearly, it is held on March 21 and is an initiative of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

APP meets with Ban Ki-moon at Strathmore University, Kenya

On 15th February 2017, we had the privilege of meeting the former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, at a conference held at Strathmore University where he was due to deliver a keynote speech later that afternoon.

I made 44 friends in Kenya’s prisons and they taught me more than I taught them

When I arrived in Nairobi on New Year’s Eve in 2015, I didn’t know what to expect. A city I had never visited before or had any familiarity to was going to be my home for a year. Its people, unpredictable weather, public transportation and food were all very foreign to me. All I knew was that I had come to teach law in Kenya’s prisons. This was a bit much for my family to process who were in denial of my endeavours until the night they bade me farewell at the airport.

APP in Rebel Education

Last summer, Al Jazeera started filming Rebel Education, a six-part documentary series looking at innovative learning models that are challenging the dominant ideas of education - particularly within challenging environments.We're really excited that episode 5 will feature African Prisons Project...

Paralegals in Kenya and Uganda receive training on bail and appeal procedures from legal experts

Magistrates and legal experts from across the judiciary have come together to share their practical knowledge. Ensuring trainees are immersed into the legal world, even from behind prison bars.

Law books fuel the defence

Inmates at Luzira Prison share how access to quality reading material has helped them prepare their defence for court.

Jane's story: From death row, to paralegal officer

As one of our trained paralegals in Langata Women's Prison in Kenya, Jane is enabling fellow incarcerated women to access essential legal services. Fostering hope for a more just world.

Annet spent 14 years dealing with the consequences of her husband's death sentence

“My husband committed a crime, so he had to pay for it. Though it put me in a difficult situation.”

Sarah spent more time in prison before her trial, than if she was sentenced

“Being in prison: days are like months and months are like years.”

Betty is close to completing her law degree from within prison

"Using the knowledge I have acquired from Justice Defenders, I managed to convince the judge in my appeal process, overturning my death sentence."

Release: Joseph Karanja, pioneer and free man

Joseph Karanja has spent 20 years in prison. He was arrested in 2000 and sentenced to death at his trial in 2001. However, in 2009 he was one of 4,000 prisoners whose death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment by Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki.

Gilbert Niwamanya

Gilbert, aged 36, is the Welfare and Rehabilitation Officer at Luzira Maximum Security Prison, Kampala, where he’s worked for the past 5 years.

George Karaba

George has spent almost 20 years behind bars. Arrested in 2002, he was sentenced to death in 2006. This was commuted to a life sentence in 2009. In 2018 he graduated from the University of London with a Bachelor of Law degee [LLB], with support from our Justice Changemaker programme.